^LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.! 
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t UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, f 

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SERMONS 



BY THE LATE 



REV. WILLIAM ASHMEAD. 



WITH 



U JHemoti of fits ILtte* 



PHILADELPHIA: 

PUBLISHED BY TOWAR, J. & D. M. HOGAN, 

No. 255 Market Street. 

183C 






Eastern District of Pennsylvania, to wit : 

iJ**i*+ BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the twentieth day of September, in 

ih'mt *e fifty-fifth year of the Independence of the United States of Ame- 

HttfW rica, A. D. 1830, Clara F. Ashmead, of the said District, has deposited in 

this office the title of a Book, the right whereof she claims as proprietor, in the 

words following, to wit: 

SERMONS OF THE LATE REV. WILLIAM ASHMEAD. 
With a Memoir of his Life. 
In conformity to the act of the Congress of the United States, intituled, "an act 
for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, and 
books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein men- 
tioned"— and also to the act, entitled, "an act supplementary to an act, entitled , 
'an act fur the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, 
and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies during the times therein 
mentioned,' and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, 
and etching historical and other prints." 

D. CALDWELL, 
Clerk of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 






TO THE 



FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 



OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA, 



AND TO THE 



SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 



OF CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, 



ffftte Wolunxt 



IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED. 



CONTENTS. 



% Page. 

Memoir of the Author, 7 

SERMON I. 
Job xi. 7, 8, 9. — " Canst thou by searching find out God ? canst thou find 
out the Almighty unto perfection ? It is as high as heaven ; what canst 
thou do ? deeper than hell ; what canst thou know ? The measure there- 
of is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea." - 21 

SERMON II. 

Ecclesiastes xii. 7. (Last Clause.) — " And the spirit shall return unto 
God who gave it." .... 36 

SERMON EI. 

Psalm xv. — Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle ? who shall dwell in 
thy holy hill ? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, 
and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his 
tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against 
his neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned ; but he ho- 
noureth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and 
changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh 
reward against the innocent. He that does these things shall never be 
moved." ... - - 54 

SERMON IV. 
John xv. 5. (Last Clause.)—" Without me ye can do nothing." 73 

SERMON V. 
Genesis xxxix. 9. (Last Clause.) — " How can I do this great wickedness, 
and sin against God ?" .... 88 

SERMON VI. 
1 Samuel xxviii. 16. — " Then said Samuel, Wherefore, then, dost thou 
„ ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine 
enemy." ... . . 101 

SERMON VH. 
Job xv. 16. — "How much more abominable and filthy is man, which 
drinketh iniquity like water V - - - 119 

SERMON VIII. 
Jeremiah ii. 12, 13.—" Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be hor- 
ribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord. For my people have 
committed two evils ; they have forsaken me, the fountain of living wa- 
ters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no 
water." - - . 141 



li CONTENTS. 

Page. 
SERMON IX. 

John iii. 36. (Last Clause.)—*' He that believeth not the Son, shall 

not see life ; but the wrath of God abideth on him." - - 155 

SERMON X. 
Luke x. 42. — " But one thing is needful ; and Mary hath chosen that good 
part which shall not be taken away from her." - - 173 

SERMON XI. 
Luke vii. 36 to 50. — " And one of the Pharisees desired him that he 
would eat with him," &c. 188 

SERMON XII. 
Zechariah xiii. 1. — " In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the 
house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for un- 
cleanness." - - - - 203 

SERMON XIII. 
Luke xvi. 1 to 9. — " And he said unto his disciples, There was a certain 
rich man, which had a steward ; and the same was accused unto him, 
that he had wasted his goods," &c. - - - 216 

SERMON XIV. 
Mark x. 17 to 22. — " And when he was gone forth into the way, there 
came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, 
what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life ?" &c. - 232 

SERMON XV. 

Job ii. 10. (Middle Clause.) — " What! shall we receive good at the hand 
of God, and shall we not receive evil?" - - 246 

SERMON XVI. 

Exodus xx. 7. — " Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in 
vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in 
vain." ..... 258 

SERMON XVII. 

Acts viii. 30, 31. — " And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the 
prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest ? And 
he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired 
Philip that he would come up, and sit with him." - 274 

SERMON XVIII. 
JoHtf vi. 28, 29. — " Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we 
might work the works of God ? Jesus answered and said unto them, 
This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." 292 

SERMON XIX. 
Proverbs xxviii. 26. (First Clause.) — " He that trusteth in his own heart 
is a fool." .... 308 

SERMON XX. 

Genesis xviii. 25. — " That be far from thee to do after this manner, to 
slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as 
the wicked, that be far from thee: shall not the Judge of all the earth 
do right?" .... 324 



CONTENTS. iii 

Page 
SERMON XXI 
Job xix. 25, 26. — " For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall 
stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin, worms 
destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." - 339 

SERMON XXII. 
Dantei, vi. 10. — " Now when Daniel knew, that the writing" was signed, 
he went into his house, and his windows being open in his chamber to- 
wards Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and 
prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime." 354 

SERMON XXIII. 
DzuTERoy omt xxix. 29. — " The secret things belong unto the Lord our 
God; but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our 
children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." 367 

SERMON XXIV. 
1 Timothy ii. 5. — " For there is one God, and one Mediator between God 
and men, the man Christ Jesus." ... 384 

SERMON XXV. 
Exodus xx. 8, 9, 10, 11. — " Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is 
the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, 
nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-ser- 
vant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in 
six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them 
is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sab- 
bath day, and hallowed it." - - - 400 

SERMON XXVI. 

John vii. 48. — " Have any of the rulers, or of the Pharisees, believed on 
him ?" - ... 424 



PREFACE. 






The discourses which compose the present 
volume were the weekly productions of the author 
for the instruction of his own people. Many of 
them were written under the languor and depres- 
sion incident to declining health, and all of them, 
amidst the various duties and interruptions atten- 
dant on the ministerial office. 

The candid reader will, it is hoped, be disposed 
rather to acknowledge their merits, than to dwell 
upon their defects; rather to profit by the instruction 
which they convey, and the truths which they exhibit, 
than to scan them with the eye of criticism. With a 
view chiefly to gratify the friends of the author, 
these sermons have been selected for the press; 
not without the hope that they may be attended 
with the divine blessing, and that the fervent and 
affectionate remonstrances, the forcible arguments, 
the tender solicitude of the preacher, may yet find 
their way to the hearts of some, upon whom his 
personal ministry made only a transient impression. 
To the people who long sat beneath the sound of 
his voice, as well as to those on whose altars the light 
of his genius and his piety shed but a momentary 

B 



VI PREFACE. 

lustre, to all who have heard these discourses, it 
will, no doubt, enhance their value, to know that 
they appear almost precisely as they were deliver- 
ed. Of far the greater number this is literally true. 
In a few instances a passage which has been thought 
less suitable for the press than for the pulpit, has 
been omitted — and twice, or thrice, where the 
writer has not expressed himself with his usual 
clearness, a sentence has been extracted from 
his other sermons, and introduced, to illustrate his 
meaning. This is the amount of the alterations 
which they have undergone. The subscribers will 
perceive, that, to the four hundred pages promised 
in the proposals, nearly twenty have been added 
to the sermons, and a memoir of the author has 
been prefixed, which it is believed will render the 
volume more interesting, and for which they are 
indebted, to the able pen of the distinguished 
advocate of the Bible in the South.* This gen- 
tleman, with that liberality of sentiment which he 
commends in another — overstepping the narrow 
limits of sectarian feeling, has paid this brief but 
honourable and disinterested tribute to departed 
worth. 

* Mr. Grimke. 



MEMOIR 



REV. WILLIAM ASHMEAD. 



The death of a faithful servant, though intrusted only with mat- 
ters of small moment, and of temporal concern, is an afflicting 
circumstance. However humble his capacity for usefulness, how- 
ever narrow the sphere of his influence, his fellow servants who 
knew his fidelity, and all who were blessed in his labours, cannot 
fail to lament his departure. His living example of zeal and diligence 
is gone for ever ; though he leaves behind him the memory of his 
virtues, to guide and encourage others. If we ascend from the 
private to the public station, from ordinary minds to distinguished 
talents, from limited information to extensive knowledge, we look 
upon the decease of such a servant, with deeper emotions of sor- 
row. And if human experience had not]repeatedly testified how little 
the most distinguished public servant is missed, and how speedily 
and effectually his place is supplied, we should often be over- 
whelmed with despair, rather than with grief, at our loss. But 
even in the affairs of this world, we are not permitted to feel aught 
of despair; though, for a season, we know not who shall be found 
worthy to fill the vacant seats of departed greatness and goodness. 
In the course of a few years, however, the spacious circle in the 
forest, where the monarch-tree had stood, is filled up by degrees, 
and another reigns in its place. 

Such are the reflections which spring up in the mind, when we 
contemplate the death of him who has been a faithful servant, even 
to his fellow men. But, when we turn from such a one, and con- 
sider the decease of a faithful servant of God himself, how much 
more gratifying and consolatory are our reflections! His labours, 
indeed, are at an end ; but they were those of trial and pain, of dis- 
appointment and sorrow. The enjoyments of his earthly station, 



B MEMOIK 0£ THE AUTHOft. 

have passed away ; but they were frail and imperfect, and exposed 
to anxiety^ sickness, and grief. His walk of usefulness is to be 
trodden no more for ever ; but then it was a pathway beset by temp* 
tations and discouragements. The powers of his mind are no more 
to be employed, nor the affections of his heart to be poured forth 
in the service of his brethren; but the blindness, and errors, and 
solicitudes, of the studious and benevolent have vanished for ever. 
How glorious the change, from the valley of the shadow of death) 
to a world of unfading light and of everlasting life ; from tears, 
and grief, and pain, to the happiness of heaven ; from this body, 
the seat of disease and corruption, to the condition of glorified spi- 
rits ; from the society of men, degraded by crimes and vices, and 
darkened by selfishness, ignorance, and pride, to the company of 
the spirits of the just made perfect, and to the city of the living 
God, the Heavenly Jerusalem ! There is this remarkable difference 
also, between the death of the servants of God, and that of the ser- 
vants of man : the former depart at the bidding of the Master, 
whom they had preached on earth, to honour and worship him in 
heaven. The same Master transfers them from one department 
of usefulness, enjoyment, and duty, to another of a character in- 
comparably superior, in its rewards and happiness. He, who had 
allotted to them a portion of his vineyard here, calls them away, 
as best suits his gracious purposes, at the first or the third, at the 
ninth or the twelfth hour. And let him call when he will, whether 
from sickness or health, from mourning or joy, from temptation 
or triumph) from the love of friends or the persecution of enemies, 
they depart full of resignation, humility, and confidence; for they 
know that all is for the best, as to themselves and their families, 
as to the social circle and the sphere of their pastoral labours* 

In such a spirit, departed the Rev. William Ashmead, late Pastor 
of the Second Presbyterian Church, in the city of Charleston* A 
sketch of the life and death of such a minister of the gospel, is due 
to that congregation who had called him to be their shepherd ; to 
the community who were to have shared in the blessings of his 
talents, learning, and piety, of his influence and example ; and to 
the social and domestic circles, which have lost in him the hus- 
band, father, friend. 

The Rev. William Ashmead was the son of William and Mar- 
garet Ashmead, residents of Philadelphia. Captain Ashmead, his 
grandfather, seems to have possessed a taste for literature— 



MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 9 

though his active life afforded little leisure for its indulgence. He 
kept a journal for the gratification of his friends, which has been 
said to be highly interesting ; and he wrote his own epitaph in 
verse, in which he beautifully alludes to the extraordinary circum- 
stance of having completed one hundred Voyages, and to the peace- 
ful haven, in which he hoped to rest his shattered bark. The 
mother of Mr. Ashmead was one of the most amiable of women. 
Mr. Ashmead was from a very early age devoted to books and re- 
tirement, and averse to the amusements of boyhood. Dr. Rush, 
who had frequent opportunities of observing him, while visiting 
at his grandfather's, remarked of him, when still quite young, that 
he was a boy of fine promise. At the age of thirteen or fourteen, 
he was placed in a bookstore, where, for the want of sufficient 
employment, he read, as might be expected, in the most irregular 
manner, a great variety of books. The habit of desultory reading, 
thus acquired, he always regarded as a serious disadvantage. But 
those acquainted with the character of his mind, in the maturity 
of life, would never have suspected him of such undisciplined ha- 
bits, in his early years, nor have admitted their influence over him, 
even if the fact had been known to them. 

He passed the first nineteen years of his life in Philadelphia, and 
there contracted those sedentary habits which laid the foundation 
of future disease. During this time, he studied the languages, and 
having entered the University of Pennsylvania, passed through the 
usual studies with much credit, and graduated in 1818. Im- 
mediately after, he engaged in teaching, as a means of support; 
and having decided in favour of the Gospel Ministry, studied 
under the Rev. James P. Wilson, of Philadelphia 5 a gentleman 
distinguished for the power and logical character of his mind, 
for extensive erudition, and especially for his intimate know* 
ledge of the Christian Fathers. Mr. Ashmead was compelled 
to teach by day, and to pursue his professional studies by night* 
A pallid countenance, frequent head-aches, and disordered 
nerves, soon admonished him, that he spent too much time in 
the cultivation of his mind, and too little in the preservation 
of his health. Having finished the preparatory course of stu- 
dies, he was licensed as a preacher in the Spring of 1820. Few 
men have begun the career of ministerial labour so destitute of ex- 
trinsic aid or factitious advantages. Without patronage or favour, 
without the influence of the rich and the powerful, his personal 



10 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 

merits, set off by a sweet countenance, pleasant, cordial manners, 
and an extremely youthful appearance, soon secured to him a far 
more than usual share of kindness and esteem, of respect, and even 
of admiration. 

Soon after Mr. Ashmead had been licensed, he travelled on 
horseback for the benefit of his health, in the mountainous region 
of Northumberland and Sunbury. On his return, he was invited 
to preach at New Brunswick in Jersey, and gave great satisfaction 
to a crowded audience. He was requested to return in July, as a 
candidate for the pastoral office ; but as there was a division of 
opinion in the congregation, probably on account of his youth 
(being little more than 21 years of age), he declined altogether. 
Fortunately, however, for one who desired, (after having sufficiently 
prepared himself) to enter at once on the service of his Lord, he 
had, in the mean time, been invited to take charge of the congre- 
gation in Sunbury, a small town of Northumberland county, on 
the Susquehanna. He had not, however, been installed as their 
pastor, when he received an unexpected call from the Presbyterian 
church in Lancaster. Believing that a wider and more important 
sphere of usefulness awaited him there, and having laboured dili- 
gently to fit himself for such a station, he felt it a privilege, as well 
as a duty, to go. He accordingly removed to Lancaster, and served 
the Presbyterian church of that city for upwards of eight years. 
During that period, he not only discharged the duties of an affec- 
tionate, faithful, and able pastor, but employed his talents and in- 
fluence in the moral and intellectual improvement of the commu- 
nity. With this view, he exerted himself in procuring the build- 
ing of a public academy, and, after some difficulty, obtained a do- 
nation from the Legislature, in aid of the object. After he had re- 
sided in Lancaster about two years, he received a unanimous call 
to the Presbyterian church in New Brunswick, with a proposal to 
bear all the expense of removal. This was the more honourable, 
because they had neither seen nor heard him since his visit in July, 
1 822 5 and of course they judged of him still by the favourable im- 
pressions then made. He declined the offer, however, as his peo- 
ple remonstrated earnestly against his leaving them. 

His assiduity in the discharge of pastoral duties, and his seden- 
tary habits, acting on a constitution which had been impaired in 
early life, gradually undermined it, and prepared the way for an 
alarming state of feebleness and exhaustion. The decline of his 



MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. ±± 

health, and the danger which had now become painfully manifest, 
brought him to the South in the Fall of 1828, under the hope that 
relaxation from his labours and a genial climate would restore him. 
Nor was this expectation disappointed, so far as appearances ena- 
bled his friends to judge. — During his stay in Charleston, he 
preached occasionally, and made a very favourable impression, as 
an able, interesting, and evangelical minister. Whilst at Wash- 
ington, during the winter of 1829, being then on his return to Lan- 
caster, he received a unanimous call from the Second Presbyterian 
church of Charleston, South-Carolina, whose pulpit had been va- 
cated by the death of the Rev. T. C Henry. Mr. Ashmead was 
sensible of the danger he should incur by continuing at Lancaster; 
and, therefore, resolved to accept the call, from a sense of duty to 
the church, to his family, and to himself. He accordingly termi- 
nated his connexion with the Presbyterian congregation of Lan- 
caster. He arrived in Charleston on the 25th of April. Here he 
remained two months, during which he received many marks of 
regard from his new people, and became warmly attached to many 
individuals among them, especially to his hospitable friend Mr. 
A**** and his family, of whose affectionate attentions he often 
spoke with the warmest gratitude, and towards whom he felt as 
a son and a brother. On the 17th of May, 1829, he was in- 
stalled, and on the 25th of June, he set out on his return to the 
North, to make arrangements for the removal of his family, in 
the ensuing Fall. Before he left the South, however, he had a 
serious attack of bilious fever, and immediately after his arrival 
in Lancaster, he was again seized with a dangerous fever. He 
slowly recovered; yet his apparent restoration to health was 
flattering to his friends.— Whilst, however, he was waiting in 
Philadelphia, for the departure of the vessel in which he had en- 
gaged a passage for himself and family, he was again taken sick. 
This relapse occurred the very week during which he had ex- 
pected to sail for Charleston ; and arose from the latent conse- 
quences of the attack at Lancaster. — This fever, apparently not so 
violent and alarming as the former, was declared by his physicians 
to be subdued at the end of two weeks. He had been deeply af- 
fected by the disappointment of not being able to commence the 
voyage, at the set time ; for his heart was fixed on it, as a duty pe- 
culiarly interesting and important. — But, when his medical advi- 
sers declared that he must not attempt it, he did not hesitate to 



12 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 

yield his anxious wishes to their judgment, and only directed that 
his people should be made acquainted with the cause of his deten- 
tion, and with his actual situation, from time to time. — Although 
the fever returned in a week, yet it seemed of so mild a character, 
and he appeared at intervals so much better, that his friends could 
not but indulge the hope, that he would yet be restored to health 
and usefulness. Even as late as three days before he died, he ap- 
peared to be much better; his countenance, always interesting, was 
unusually sweet and natural, and his voice was clear and distinct. 
He himself, however, relied not on the favourable changes which 
occurred at times, still adhering to the settled opinion, that he 
would never recover. He spoke of an inward feeling, which con- 
vinced him that he should not survive. At first, he appeared so- 
licitous to live, and said: " O my God! spare me to praise thee 
and serve thee, with more ardour than I ever have! — Spare me to 
my dear wife and children. I trust it is not inconsistent for me 

to desire to live. Dr. , who is a holy man, and lives near to 

God, once reproved me on that subject after I had preached a ser- 
mon, in which I had painted in glowing colours the desire of the 
righteous man to die, and the triumphs of a death bed. I believe 
there have been a few good men who have desired to die, such as 
Brainerd, Edwards, and Baxter, but in general there is no instinct 
so strong as that with which we cling to life." But he added: 
"If I am to die at this time, dying grace will be given me. God 
can make me willing to leave all." In the early part of his ill- 
ness he often expressed a cheerful hope of future happiness, but 
said he had not that assurance of which some persons appeared 
possessed. " But," said he, 4< perhaps it is best for me not to feel 

too confident. Dr. W says that there have been many good 

Christians who never attained this assurance." He desired his 
wife to preserve his sermons for his son. " Should God direct 
his views to the ministry," said he, " they may be of use to him." 
*' At least," he added, " they will serve to show him something of 
his father." This mention of his dear boy was almost too much 
for him; yet he shrunk from nothing that duty required. 

He conversed with his two eldest children: told them that he 
had but few days to live, and exhorted them so to live, that he 
might hope to meet them in heaven. On this day also he spoke 
to several of his relatives, with great tenderness and affection, 
giving them appropriate advice, which will, it is hoped, be long 



MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 13 

remembered. Parting with his wife and little ones, appeared 
to be the greatest conflict which nature experienced; yet, we 
feel a strong assurance, that God enabled him to resign even 
these into his hands. In his last illness he loved to expatiate 
upon the virtues of his mother, to recall her nameless endear* 
ments, and her tender solicitude for his welfare. "My mo^ 
ther," said he, " O how I did love my mother! and well do I 
remember what a shuddering came over me, when I first thought 
that she would die, and be removed from me. But she is now among 
the gentlest of the spirits in heaven." He looked forward with 
pleasure to the period, when he should meet this fondly-cherished 
parent in those regions, where happiness is pure and unalloyed. 
He often remarked, " My sickness has been sanctified to me : 
it is good for me that I have been afflicted." The activity and 
energy of his mind to the last, exemplified a remark, which he 
had made a few days before his death when very weak and low. 
— " Mind," said he, " immortal mind never decays. When the 
body is sinking to the grave, it often breaks forth with unwont- 
ed splendour." During the last memorable week of his life he 
expressed his sentiments upon many subjects, with a clearness and 
vigour which were truly surprizing considering his extreme de- 
bility. He spoke at this time of the difficulty of distinguishing be^ 
tween a desire of happiness and a dread of misery — a desire to 
obtain heaven for its own sake, and a desire to escape from hell. 
"This," said he, "is one of the most difficult points in the 
Christian experience." On another occasion, he spoke with great 
pleasure of the resurrection of the body. He also referred to the 
subject of moral evil — its entrance into the world:— «" God," said 
he, "created all things good." His views on this subject were 
very clear and satisfactory. When suffering under a most 
painful inability to sleep, he said, " This is the way we learn 
to die, by suffering." "Yes," was replied, "it is the way our 
Heavenly Father takes to lead us to himself." "And a very 
good one," said he. On the Friday before his decease, he said 
to a kind brother, who was with him, "I feel a strong confi- 
dence in God. I can say with David, * great is his goodness,' 
and with Paul, * thy grace is sufficient for me:'" "I am in the 
hands of the Lord Jesus," said he at another time, after re^ 
marking the improbability of his recovering; and again, "Lord 
Jesus, into thy hands I commit my spirit." He gave dircc-, 

C 



14 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 

tions with the greatest composure for his funeral, and requested 

that the Rev. Dr. G , whose visits had been a source of much 

comfort to him, should speak at his grave. On one occasion he 
remarked to a friend, " It seems to me more difficult for minis- 
ters of the gospel to be saved, than for other men." He then 
spoke of himself as a sinner, as indeed he daily did, frequently ut- 
tering the fervent ejaculation, "God be merciful to me a sinner." 
On Sabbath morning, two days before his death, he said, "this is 
the Sabbath; I wish to be in the spirit on the Lord's day.'' He 
then repeated: — 

" Sweet is the day of sacred rest, 
No mortal care shall seize my breast; 
O may my heart in tune be found, 
Like David's harp of solemn sound." 

On the evening of that day, he said "I am a sinner, it is true," 
(and every man that dies must say that,) " but hoping for heaven 
through the merits of the Lord Jesus; and now I am resigned to go ; 
and feel that I should delight to join the glorified and happy spirits 
that surround the throne: and Oh that I might hope to meet the 
whole human family there. I would not be a Universalist — but how 
dreadful the thought that even one human being should be lost; and 
God would have all men to be saved. If fire and the want of water 
be faint emblems of the miseries of the lost, what, Oh my God ! 
must be the reality." On one occasion, he exclaimed, with strong 
emotion — "I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, 
nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present nor things to 
come, shall be able to separate me from the love of God, which 
is in Christ Jesus our Lord." "Let me die," said he, "the 
death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his." During 
the last week of his life, he spoke with great feeling of a pocket 
English Bible which he always carried with him, and to which he 
was very much attached. "That little Bible," said he, "has 
been my companion over many a mile of land and ocean." He 
then marked several appropriate passages with his own hand. 
On the last day, he remarked, "I am dying: but I fear not death; 
my trust is in the Saviour of sinners." There was a deep and 
affecting solemnity in all that he said, the last night of his life. 
He was evidently fast ripening for Heaven ; his path was shining 
more and more unto the perfect day. To him may justly be ap- 



MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 15 

plied the words of the Psalmist, " Mark the perfect man, and be- 
hold the upright, for the end of that man is peace." Instead of 
murmuring or repining on his bed of languishing, his heart seemed 
to overflow with love and gratitude. A day or two before his 
death, when presented with a draught of cold water, he said, 
44 O how delightful! fresh from nature's fountain. How good our 
heavenly Father is in providing us so many comforts, notwith- 
standing our sinfulness. The goodness of God far exceeds his 
severity." On another occasion, when his shutters were opened, 
and he beheld the sun, he exclaimed, " the Lord God is a sun and 
a shield, the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will 
he withhold from those who walk uprightly." Several times he 
said, " I am dying," yet no symptoms of immediate danger were 
visible; his sleep was easy, his voice clear and strong. A few 
minutes before he departed, he said to his wife: " You can come 
to me, though I cannot return to you." After some moments of 
intense pain, he desired that his head might be raised. It was 
•done, when immediately his eyes became fixed, and his spirit was 
released without a groan or struggle. He died after an illness of 
six weeks, on the morning of the 2d of December, 1829, in his 32d 
year, leaving a widow, and six children all under ten years of age. 

Mr. Ashmead read with ease, the French, Spanish and Italian 
languages, though entirely self-taught. In the winter of 1825, he 
commenced the translation of Saurin's Historical, Critical and 
Theological Discourses, of which he was under the impression 
there was no English version. He had proceeded so far, as to 
complete eight of them, with very copious notes, when admonish- 
ed by ill health of the necessity of relinquishing every study, 
except what was indispensable to prepare him for the pulpit. 
These Sermons are among his manuscripts, and are written with 
the greatest accuracy and neatness. In the German language he 
also made considerable proficiency, though his declining health 
obliged him to give up the study. He was very fond of good 
poetry, and had all the sensibility and fancy of a poet, though he 
never attempted that kind of composition. 

He was a good Mathematician also. But the study of the hu- 
man mind was to him the most interesting of all. Accordingly 
he read with profound attention all the different systems of moral 
science and metaphysics. But, after all his learning and research, 
he declared, when recovering from the fever which attacked him 



IB MEMOIR OF TttE AUTHOft. 

on his return from Charleston, that he would in future study the* 
Bible more, and other books less. Let it not hence be inferred 
that he had hitherto neglected the holy volume. Far from it. He 
was in the daily practice for many years not only of reading the 
English version* but of reading every morning, a chapter in the 
Hebrew Bible, and every afternoon, another in his little Greek 
Testament, which he always carried with him. 

In 1826, he published an essay on Pauperism, addressed to the 
State Legislature, then in session, in which are displayed great 
ingenuity and originality in applying the Christian principle, " If 
a man will not work, neither shall he eat," to the subject of a legal 
provision for the poor. The argument is not a popular one in the 
native State of the author, but the time is coming, when, we doubt 
not, its force will be admitted by all. The literary merits of the 
essay will be acknowledged by every reader of taste and judgment. 

Among the manuscripts of Mr. Ashmead, there are from 170 
to 200 Sermons, written out, and possessing nearly equal merit : 
several works which have not been given to the public; one is enti- 
tled, u the Laws of the Greek Accents;" one is on "The Advantages 
of the Sabbath, considered as a Civil Institution;" another on 
" The Influence which Christianity has exerted on the Political 
Condition of the World;" another is entitled, "The Scripture 
Doctrine of an Intermediate State between Death and the Resur- 
rection, defended/' There are also " An Abridgment of the Manual 
of Epictetus;" " An Epitome of Brown's system of Theology;" and 
a Criticism on " Sermons by a Layman." These are all written 
with the most perfect neatness, not a sentence being abridged or a 
word omitted. 

It is worthy of remark, that the only unfinished Sermon among 
his manuscripts, is on these words: " And the dust shall return to 
the earth, as it was*" It is supposed to have been commenced 
between his illness in July, and the last fatal attack* It breaks off 
abruptly with these words, which seem to have been prophetic: 
*' Then, when this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this 
mortal shall put on immortality, shall be brought to pass the say* 
ittg that is written, death is swallowed up in victory." 

The Rev. Wm k Ashmead was richly endowed by nature. The 
God whom he served with the zeal, simplicity and faithfulness of 
the apostolic age, had bestowed upon him talents, far superior to 
those, which are given to the vast majority of mankind. Conscious 



MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. tf 

tof his powers, and acknowledging the full force of the obligation 
which they imposed, he cultivated his mind with the fidelity of 
a Christian, and the enthusiasm of a scholar. It is not therefore, 
surprising, that he should have attained in comparatively few 
years, an extent, variety and depth of knowledge, which few of the 
Clergy ever attain, even in the course of a long life. His Theolo- 
gical acquirements especially, were extraordinary for his age; and 
serve to show us what intellectual ability can accomplish, when sti- 
mulated by a sense of Christian duty; and by an ardent love of study. 
It has often happened that the profound and learned Theologian* 
too deeply imbued with the spirit of controversy, and becoming a 
devotee, if not a bigot to his own sect, has but little affection for 
the Church Universal, and for the common cause of Christian be- 
nevolence, too little sympathy with other denominations, and too 
little respect for their pious labours. But Mr. Ashmead, though 
an accomplished scholar in divinity, valued religion more than 
sectarian Theology, and the broad diffusive charity of the New 
Testament, more than the narrow-minded jealousies, which often 
separate the members of different communions, even where they 
harmonize in essentials. He loved and venerated the principle o 
mutual fellowship and mutual labour, and was ever ready to unite 
on common ground, with any of the Evangelical denominations* 
His liberality, therefore, seemed the more remarkable and capti 1 ^ 
vating, because he had not only travelled the broad road, but had 
explored the narrow winding paths of biblical learning; and had 
surveyed minutely, as well as comprehensively, the various reli* 
gious opinions^ which divide the Christian world. From these 
he selected such as he was satisfied the Scriptures sanctioned J 
and hence his scheme of religion was evangelical* and his eccle- 
siastical tenets Presbyterian. Inflexible in these sentiments, as 
derived from the pure fountain of Scripture, he yet acknowledged 
in others, most cheerfully and sincerely, in thought) in word, and 
in deed, the privilege of judging and acting for themselves. He 
insisted with fervour and energy, uniformly and steadily, on the 
peculiar requirements of the gospel: and declared, as a herald of 
the cross, the whole counsel of God. To his people, he addressed 
himself, with the authority of a pastor; with the gravity and 
earnestness, which became their spiritual guide; with the tender- 
ness and solicitude of a brother and a friend; with the humility of 
a fellow-servant; and with the penitence, the gratitude, the faith 



18 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 

of a sinner, sanctified by the same holy spirit, redeemed by the 
same precious sacrifice, and accepted by the same almighty Fa* 
ther. He preached as one who had bound himself, for the rewards 
of eternity, to strengthen the weak hands and confirm the feeble 
knees, to lead the blind, and to encourage the fearful, to bring back 
the wanderer, to bind up the broken heart, and to warn the strongs 
that he take heed, lest he fall. He preached as one who had ex- 
perienced in himself the regenerating power, and the purifying in- 
fluences, the holy enjoyments, rich consolations, and eternal sanc- 
tions of the gospel. 

But there are other points of view, in which we may advan- 
tageously contemplate the character of Mr. Ashmead. We have 
said that he was gifted with fine talents, and he accordingly train* 
ed himself, by the assiduous cultivation of his mind, to a thorough 
knowledge of its capabilities, and a complete mastery of its powers. 
1 — Hence, while the Christian heard with gratitude and humble joy, 
the message of salvation, delivered in the very spirit of the gospel, 
kind, considerate and simple: the scholar was charmed by the dis- 
play of a logic, clear, vigorous, convincing ; of a judgment, sound 
and discriminating: and of a taste, at once pure and beautiful* 
His reasonings in favour of religion were delivered with all the 
energy of truth, all the fervour of piety, and all the chastened ele- 
gance of an accomplished preacher. 

It is believed that very few of the numerous clergymen who have 
Visited our city, during a long course of years, so speedily estab- 
lished such an enviable reputation^, as a Christian minister, as a 
scholar and a gentleman. — Whilst he was loved as a pious and 
amiable man, he was admired as an 'able and eloquent preacher, 
and respected as a faithful servant of his crucified Master. The 
character, which he had developed and finished, during eight 
years of service at Lancaster, had attained such a state of perfec- 
tion, that a display of its moral beauty and intellectual excellence 
seemed rather to be spontaneous manifestations of its power, than 
deliberate purposes of the mind. The large and enlightened au- 
dience which attended his preaching, attested the general satisfac- 
tion which he gave. The unanimous call to fill the vacant pulpit 
•of the 2d Presbyterian Church, was at once the reward of his la- 
bours, and a testimony to his sterling merit. The deep regret of 
the Lancaster church, at parting with him, and the affliction of 
the 2d Presbyterian church at his decease, bespeak the gratitude 



MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 19 

of the former, and the broken hopes of the latter. As a husband, 
father, friend, the qualities of Mr. Ashmead were but emanations 
from the higher and nobler character, which distinguished him as 
a Christian and a minister. Such a Christian and such a minister 
could not fail to exhibit, in the social and domestic circles, those 
qualities, which not only endear but adorn, the husband, the father 
and the friend. His virtues commanded respect, and won esteem; 
while the affability and gentleness of his manners, the sweetness 
and serenity of his temper, his cheerful and cordial conversation, 
his pure and humble spirit, recommended him as a companion and 
a model. The strength of his affections and the extreme delicacy 
of his feelings were known to but few. " I have been a sensitive 
being," said he, " and my feelings have been but little under- 
stood." His modest and retiring manners, veiled from the casual 
observer much of the loveliness of his character. Yet withal, he 
was fearless in the discharge of duty, and uniformly opposed injus- 
tice, with a determined purpose. 

To his widow he has left the bright example of a Christian life, 
and the more glorious and precious consolations of a Christian 
death-bed. To her, as a pious mother, he has entrusted that 
example and those consolations, as the rich and affecting bequest 
of a dying father to the little children, whom he loved. By her, 
the wife of his confidence and affections, we feel assured, that these 
treasures of a husband's character, will be preserved as a sacred 
patrimony for his children, andas a pledge of their re-union in that 
world of glorified spirits, where sorrow and tears are unknown, but 
the purity and bliss of angels and seraphs become the eternal in- 
heritance of the redeemed. 

The death of such a man is a heavy loss to the community, who 
expected so much from his life. The death of such a minister, is 
a season for fasting and prayer, to the people whom he served. 
The death of such a scholar is consecrated by the tears, and em- 
balmed in the memory of Literature. The death of such a hus- 
band, father, friend, clothes in mourning the forms that he loved, 
and banishes smiles from the faces which were ever wont to re- 
joice when he rejoiced. 

But the death of such a man, such a minister, such a scholar, of 
such a husband, father, friend, is full of consolation to those who 
survive; as it is full of glory and happiness to him. Theirs is a 
loss, that can last but a few years, for they also must die : but his 



20 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR 

we are assured, is an eternal gain. They continue in a state of 
temptation, of trial, of sorrow; while he has passed through 
the valley of the shadow of death, to the bosom of his Fa- 
ther and their Father, of his God and their God. They, in- 
deed, now sorrow, because they shall behold his face no more; 
but when their corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and 
their mortal shall have put on immortality, if it be given them to 
enter, as we trust he has, into the rest prepared for the people of 
God, then shall they behold him again, clothed in the glorified 
form, and beaming love from the seraph countenance of the just 
man made perfect, 



SERMON I. 






JOB XI. 7, 8, 9. 



" Canst thou by searching find out God ? canst thou find out the Almighty 
unto perfection ? It is as high as heaven ; what canst thou do ? deeper 
than hell ; what canst thou know ? The measure thereof is longer than 
the earth, and broader than the sea." 

The text teaches us, that the Deity is a being al- 
together incomprehensible. The words imply, that 
we can no more discover the mode of the divine sub- 
sistence, and develope the nature of the divine perfec- 
tions, than we can measure the vault of heaven, or ex- 
plore the lowest abysses of the earth. 

It is told of Simonides, a distinguished ancient poet 
and philosopher, that, when asked by Hiero, king of 
Syracuse, the question, " What is God ?" he desired 
to have a day for reflection, before he undertook to re- 
ply. On the following day, the query was repeated, 
and two days more were requested ; at the expiration 
of which, Simonides again doubled the time which he 
demanded for consideration. At length, Hiero, grow- 
ing impatient, inquired why he acted in this manner. 
" Because," answered the candid pagan, " because the 
longer I examine the subject, the more obscure it be- 
comes." 

Many have supposed, that the necessity of an intel- 
ligent First Cause is so obvious, that, had Jehovah 
made no direct revelation of himself to man, we should 
yet have been able, by the exercise of the mental facul- 

1 



22 SERMON I. 

ties with which he has endued us, to arrive at a know- 
ledge of his existence. In fact the possibility of learn- 
ing something in respect to the being and attributes of 
God, independently of the disclosures contained in his 
word, has been assumed by not a few able writers, as 
an incontestable truth. Thus the eminently profound 
and discriminating Calvin commences the third chap- 
ter of the first book of his Institutes with this confident 
assertion, " We lay it down as a position not to be con- 
troverted, that the mind of man even by natural instinct 
has some sense of a Deity." We may add, that the 
apostle Paul himself has been thought to favour the 
opinion of which we speak, when he says, " The in- 
visible things of him from the creation of the world are 
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are 
made, even his eternal power and Godhead." This 
passage has been understood as implying, that on the 
works of creation the great Architect has impressed the 
fact of his existence in lines so broad and conspicuous, 
that they cannot fail to attract the notice of every being 
who has eyes to see, and an intellect to consider and 
comprehend. 

There are those, however, who, after a close and 
patient investigation of the subject, have been led to 
doubt, if not to deny, that man, without the assistance 
of revelation, would have known any thing respecting 
his Maker. They look upon the language of Paul 
just quoted, as too ambiguous to be relied on for the 
support of the opinion which they reject, while there 
are various considerations which incline them to a con- 
trary supposition. We shall here offer one or two re- 
marks on this point, but without taking upon us to 
decide it. 



SERMON I. 23 

That the numberless indications of design and con- 
trivance which pervade the works of God, are an evi- 
dence of his existence, is certain. The argument with 
which we combat the Atheist, when we point him to 
the universe which he inhabits, and of which he is a 
part, and demand of him how a structure so stu- 
pendous and magnificent, and so admirably fitted to 
the accomplishment of wise and benevolent ends, 
should have originated without an intelligent agent, — 
is unquestionably a sound one. On this point, let it 
be carefully observed, there is no difference of opinion. 
It is conceded on both sides, that, " the heavens de- 
clare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his 
handy-work." The question is not whether those who 
are already acquainted with a Deity, may discover in 
the fabric of nature numerous and striking tokens of 
his being, but whether these tokens would be sufficient 
to arrest the attention, and force conviction on the minds 
of those who were entirely ignorant of the fact. Phe- 
nomena which appear singularly conclusive to persons 
whose belief in the divine existence has been pre- 
viously established, might make no impression what- 
ever, or, at best, only a feeble and transitory impression 
on individuals, who had never before heard or thought 
of a God. To discern the evidence which sustains a 
known truth, is a very different thing from the disco- 
very of a truth that was wholly unknown. It is, at the 
present day, no very hard matter to demonstrate those 
physical laws which govern the revolutions of the solar 
and planetary orbs. And yet how many ages of the 
most profound ignorance had been slumbered away, 
before Newton, by the efforts of his splendid genius, 
ascertained and elucidated the simple but sublime prin- 



24 SERMON I. 

ciples, by which the harmony of the spheres is pre- 
served ! 

The general, if not universal, belief of mankind in 
respect to the divine existence, has been confidently 
appealed to by many as evincing, that this great truth, 
which lies at the foundation of all religion, is discover- 
able by human reason. The assertion has been broadly 
made, that no nation or tribe of people entirely igno- 
rant of a Deity, can be found at present on the globe, 
or has ever existed. How far this assertion might be 
successfully combatted, we shall not now inquire, 
though we cannot forbear observing, that Locke, in the 
first book of his Essay on the Understanding, has 
quoted some facts, which he considered as sufficiently 
proving the contrary, and that a later writer of our own 
country has recorded a very remarkable circumstance, 
which we shall here state in his own words : " I was 
well acquainted," says he, " with a negro, who was a 
man of superior natural powers, and made a profession 
of religion; who told me, that he was born in the island 
of Madagascar, and lived there till he was above thirty 
years old ; and in all that time he never had a thought 
of the being of a God, a creator, or governor of the 
world, or of a future state after death." But let us 
concede, for the sake of argument, that some indistinct 
notions relative to a supreme Divinity, are, and have 
always been co-extensive with the diffusion of human 
nature. — We ask, is it by any means certain, that such 
notions are the pure result of investigation and reflec- 
tion on the part of those who possess them? May 
they not be referred to that original revelation of him- 
self with which we know that the Deity was pleased 
to favour our first parent? The idea of a God once 



SERMON I. 25 

communicated to our race, would be handed down 
through successive generations, extending its influence 
to the remotest periods and regions. 

We come now to exhibit what has been considered 
as something like a positive argument in support of the 
opinion which denies the possibility of arriving at a 
knowledge of the divine existence, independently of 
revelation. The benevolent attention which of late 
years has been devoted to the instruction of the deaf 
and dumb, has led to some discoveries highly interest- 
ing to the philosophical observer of the human mind. 
Among other things, it has, we believe, been pretty 
clearly ascertained, that this unfortunate class of beings 
are entirely ignorant of a Deity, until they receive from 
their teacher particular and explicit information on this 
subject. And here we must not omit the mention of a 
circumstance which is well authenticated. It is the 
case of a man born deaf and dumb in France, who is 
reported to have been quick and sagacious in the ordi- 
nary affairs of life. He was a regular attendant of 
public worship, and applied for admission to the ordi- 
nance of the Lord's Supper. The bishop to whom 
the application was made, examined him as far as prac- 
ticable, through the medium of his relatives and fami- 
liar companions, who could best converse with him. 
He was received as a communicant, and continued for 
many years, as was supposed, a devout Christian. At 
length, a surgical operation was performed on his ears, 
which enabled him to hear, and, of course, he soon be- 
came able to speak and to read. He then declared, 
that, in his previous state, he had not the most indis- 
tinct apprehension of a God, and that all the interest 
which he formerly appeared to take in religious exer- 



26 SERMON I. 

cises, resulted solely from a desire to imitate what lie 
saw in others. Now, there is undoubtedly a degree of 
force in the argument founded on the case of the deaf 
and dumb. Yet this argument must not be looked upon 
as conclusive, because the class of beings in question 
are in circumstances different from those in which the 
rest of the race are found. They have not, so to speak, 
the full complement of faculties pertaining to human 
nature. They, consequently, labour under disadvan- 
tages which render their situation so peculiar, that the 
inference drawn from their ignorance of a Deity, cannot 
be fairly relied on as decisive of the point at issue. 

And after all, brethren, we confess that we are not 
competent to determine, whether man, independently 
of revelation, could have ascertained the being of God. 
That he has an instinctive perception of right and 
wrong — that his conscience often alarms and influences 
him by vague feelings of accountability, — we are will- 
ing to admit. But how far these moral emotions would 
necessarily involve a belief of the divine existence, we 
are at a loss to say. His Maker did not think proper 
to leave man without a revelation, and, therefore, we 
know not what it were possible for him, either imme- 
diately on his creation, or in a succession of ages, to 
discover of the being of a Deity. 

If, however, we should admit, that the bare fact of 
the divine existence is discoverable by human reason, 
still we may venture to assert, that no correct ideas 
relative to the character and perfections of God, can be 
derived from any other source than his own word. 
In support of this position, it is sufficient to appeal to 
the state of religion among the most enlightened and 
refined nations of antiquity. Behold the learned 



SERMON I. 27 

and polished Greeks and Romans offering their homage 
to thirty thousand divinities — divinities, too, whom they 
conceived to possess all the passions which belong to 
our nature in its state of degeneracy. See the inhabi- 
tants of Athens — a city accounted the metropolis of the 
literary world, — erecting altars to unknown gods ! 

And here it deserves to be particularly remarked, 
that the opinions entertained by the ancients in reference 
to the divine nature, appear to have become less ra- 
tional, or, rather, less consistent with the discoveries of 
revelation, in proportion to their advancement in litera- 
ture and philosophy. The question might hence arise 
— if the knowledge of God which they possessed, had 
been acquired by the exercise of their own mental fa- 
culties, why did it not improve and enlarge in the same 
ratio in which those faculties were cultivated and ex- 
panded? How are we to account for the fact, that the 
religious sentiments of the Greeks and Romans, never 
exhibited the least symptom of progression towards the 
truth? The only change which they underwent, was 
to grow more absurd and more monstrous. This cir- 
cumstance, however we may attempt to explain it, is a 
curious one. 

We know it has been alleged, that while the popu- 
lar religion of the ancients was a system of unmeaning 
and debasing superstitions, their philosophers and in- 
telligent men of the higher classes, entertained more 
enlightened views respecting the divine Being, and 
merely professed, from motives of policy, to coincide 
in the vulgar notions of their countrymen. There may 
be some ground for this assertion, though every one 
must discern, that it is unsafe to pronounce positively 
concerning opinions which those who are conjectured 



28 SERMON 1= 

to have held them, are admitted to have been most 
anxious to conceal. The truth of the matter we sup- 
pose to be about this — that reflecting men among the 
Greeks and Romans perceived the futility of the reli- 
gious system adopted by the multitude, but having no 
certain information on the subject, and knowing not 
whither to go for such information, their minds settled 
into a state of general doubt and total indifference. Ac- 
cording to the testimony of Gibbon, (their warmest ad- 
mirer and eulogist,) they were, in reality, Atheists, 
though they thought proper, for obvious reasons, to 
conform externally to the religion of their country. It 
is Cicero, we believe, who somewhere remarks, that he 
never could tell, how one augur was able to look at an- 
other without laughing. And yet we are much mis- 
taken, if his own speculations respecting the Deity, 
will not be contemplated with little complacency by a 
modern advocate for the sufficiency of human reason. 

Enough, we presume, has now been said to show, 
that, apart from the revelation with which our Creator 
has kindly condescended to favour us, God is an in- 
comprehensible being. Had it not been for the sacred 
scriptures, we should have remained ignorant of the 
divine character and perfections, even if we had been 
able to discover the simple fact of the divine existence. 

But, brethren, we are prepared to advance farther 
than this, and to maintain, that, even with the light 
which the inspired record reflects on this sublime and 
glorious subject, we can learn little comparatively con- 
cerning Him who made us. Yes, we may go to the 
man who has the Bible in his hands, and as he dili- 
gently explores its pages, we may say to him in the 
language of the text, " Canst thou by searching find 



SERMON I. 29 

out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto per- 
fection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? 
deeper than hell ; what canst thou know ; The mea- 
sure thereof is longer than the earth, and hroader than 
the sea." 

Does any one here ask, why it is that the Deity, 
notwithstanding the disclosures of his word, is, in a 
great measure, incomprehensible to the human mind? 
We answer, because of the feebleness and imperfection 
of our capacities. A finite intellect can no more com- 
prehend that which is infinite, than the hollow of our 
hand could contain the waters of the ocean. The poet 
has well said, 

" Could we conceive him, God he could not be ; 
Or he not God, or we could not be men. 
A God alone can comprehend a God." 

Let us now endeavour to analyze the truth inculcated 
in our text, and to ascertain more definitely what it is 
that we mean, when we speak of the incomprehensibi- 
lity of God. 

And first we remark, that God is incomprehensible 
in respect to the mode of his subsistence. He is an 
uncreated substance. He lives by an immutable ne- 
cessity inherent in his own nature. He has proceeded 
from none, and is sustained by none. He is wholly 
independent of any of the relations of space and time. 
We may add, that the manner of his being becomes 
still more mysterious, when we take into view what the 
scriptures reveal with regard to a plurality of some 
kind in the unity of the divine essence. It is utterly 
impossible for us to conceive how the same God can be 
both one and three. And yet this fact relative to the 
Most High is taught so distinctly in his word, that we 

2 



30 SERMON I. 

cannot, without a culpable disregard for the authority 
of revelation, withhold from it our credence. The ut- 
most that we can discover concerning the matter, is, 
that the Deity is one and three in different senses. 
Thus far we can go, and no farther. 

Again, God is incomprehensible in respect to many 
of his perfections, and particularly those which theolo- 
gians have distinguished by the epithet incommunicable. 
For example, what definite and satisfactory ideas can 
we form of his eternity — that attribute in virtue of which 
he has existed and shall exist always ? Or of his om- 
nipresence — that attribute in virtue of which he is in 
every part of this vast universe at the same moment of 
time? Or of his omnipotence — that attribute in virtue of 
which he has only to will, and the object of his voli- 
tion is instantly accomplished? Or of his immutabi- 
lity — that attribute in virtue of which he remains him- 
self unchanged amid surrounding systems of changes? 
Brethren, we may strain and torture our minds to the 
utmost in trying to couceive of these perfections of the 
Godhead, and after all we shall be forced to own with 
Simonides, that deliberation on the subject serves only 
to perplex and bewilder us the more. 

Further, God is incomprehensible in respect to his 
works. Their extent and variety, their greatness on 
the one hand, and their minuteness on the other, sur- 
pass our conception. When we look above to those 
enormous masses of matter, suns, planets and stars, 
which are continually moving with a velocity almost 
immeasurable through the regions of unbounded space; 
and when we cast our eyes downwards to survey the 
minutiae of creation, and remark how every leaf of eve- 
ry tree, and, indeed, almost every material particle 



SERMON 1. Si 

teems with organic life, invisible, it is true, to the un- 
aided eye, but plainly discoverable through the me- 
dium of the microscopic lens: we are constrained to 
admit, that the Deity "doeth great things past finding 
out, yea, and wonders without number." This truth 
comes home with peculiar vividness and energy to our 
minds, when we contemplate ourselves, when we ex- 
amine the mechanism of our bodies so ingeniously con- 
trived, and admirably executed, and especially when 
we mark the exquisite structure of the thinking and 
feeling principle, whatever it may be, which constitutes 
the chief dignity and excellence of our nature. O ! 
who can reflect for a moment on himself, without real- 
izing the pertinency and force of that address of the 
Psalmist to his Creator, " I will praise thee, for I am 
fearfully and wonderfully made." In short, the works 
of the Most High abound with facts to illustrate and 
confirm the great truth of his incomprehensibility. To 
a certain extent, we can explore the nature of these 
works, ascertain their use, and determine the laws by 
which they are governed. But much, very much that 
is either partially or entirely unintelligible, remains. 
Nature is an immense store-house of mysteries. Wher- 
ever wedirect our view along the range of created things, 
we may say, "Lo, these are parts of his ways; but 
how little a portion is seen of him !" 

Moreover, (rod is incomprehensible in respect to the 
dispensations of his providence. We know, that all 
things and all events are under his absolute control, in- 
somuch that a sparrow cannot alight upon the ground 
without his knowledge and permission. It is equally 
certain, that he governs the universe agreeably to the 
dictates of infinite wisdom, and that the end which he 



32 SERMON I. 

aims to accomplish in all that he does, or suffers to 
be done, is the promotion of the general happiness of 
his creatures, and the advancement of his own declara- 
tive glory. And yet, how numerous are the occur- 
rences which to our short-sighted view, appear as if 
they could not have been ordered, or even allowed, by 
a perfectly wise and purely benevolent Divinity! Why 
is it, that of all the human beings born into the world, 
more than one third are cut off in the very dawn of 
their existence, removed from earth before a single re- 
volution of the seasons has passed over their heads ? 
Why is it, that pestilence and famine and war are so 
often seen to desolale whole districts of the globe? 
Why is it, that the virtuous are sometimes visited with 
every form and degree of affliction, while the wicked 
sometimes enjoy a superabundant measure of temporal 
blessings? Why is it, that the husband and father is 
snatched from a family which depended entirely on his 
exertions for support, and the widow and her lisping 
offspring are thereby thrown upon the sympathy of re- 
latives and friends, and the charity of the wide world? 
Why is it, that of two sons, the one who promised to 
gladden his parents' hearts, and to be an ornament to 
society, sinks into an untimely grave, while another, 
the very reverse in character, lives to disgrace his con- 
nexions, and to injure, by the contagion of his vicious 
example, the community in which he moves? Why 
is it, that the minister of the gospel is called from the 
field of his labour, at the very moment in which his 
prospects of permanent and extended usefulness shone 
brightest? But there would be no end to such ques- 
tions. The judgments of Heaven are verily a mighty 
deep. Of Jehovah it has been truly said, that his "way 



SERMON I. 33 

is in the sea, and his path in the great waters, and his 
footsteps are not known." In marking the course of 
his providence, we have abundant reason to exclaim, 
" Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out." 

Finally, God is incomprehensible in respect to the 
economy of his grace. The plan of redemption exhi- 
bited in the Gospel, is replete with mysteries sufficient 
to bailie the conception, not of men only, but even of 
the highest orders of created beings in the universe. 
We remember how an inspired apostle, in meditating 
on this plan, burst forth into the rapturous exclama- 
tion, " O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom 
and knowledge of God ! how unsearchable are his 
judgments, and his ways past finding out!" Who can 
estimate the measure of that benevolence, which moved 
the Father to consent to the sacrifice of his only begot- 
ten and well-beloved Son, which urged the Son him- 
self voluntarily to embark in the enterprise of recover- 
ing, at the expense of his own life, our fallen and alie- 
nated world; and which prompted the Holy Spirit to 
become a party to this wonderful undertaking, and 
to lend his potent agency for its certain and effectual 
consummation? Who can understand how, when Je- 
sus Christ came down to earth, he appeared as a per- 
son composed of two natures, the divine and human, 
distinct as to their respective properties, and yet really 
and inseparably combined? Who can explain how 
the obedience which he rendered to the law, and the 
sufferings which he endured, were capable of expiat- 
ing the offences of others whose representative he was? 
Who can point out the manner in which the Spirit of 
grace operates upon the human heart, so as to fashion 
it anew, and qualify it for the discharge of moral and 



34 SERMON I. 

religious duties to which it was previously averse? 
Who is competent to inform us, how devout men are 
kept by the power of God through faith unto salva- 
tion ? These, brethren, these are the things into which 
the angels themselves desire to look. Of course, we 
can know comparatively little about them in our pre- 
sent state. " Without controversy, great is the myste- 
ry of godliness." 

Upon the whole, the Deity, in whatever light we con- 
template him, whether we look at his being, his per- 
fections, his works, the dispensations of his providence, 
or the economy of his grace, is incomprehensible. The 
truth of our text is established beyond dispute. We 
cannot by searching find out God ; we cannot find out 
the Almighty unto perfection. 

Brethren, from the subject on which we have now 
been meditating, we may learn, in the first place, the 
importance of revelation. We have seen that this is 
the source to which we owe all the sure and satisfac- 
tory knowledge that we possess concerning the divine 
Being. It is doubtful, whether, without the sacred 
scriptures, we should have discovered even the fact of 
his existence, while it is certain, that, but for them, we 
should have remained entirely ignorant of his charac- 
ter and perfections. We should have known nothing 
of his willingness and his intention to pardon sin and 
save sinners. That there is forgiveness for malefactors 
doomed to die — that man, though guilty of numberless 
and aggravated offences against his Maker, may yet 
obtain reconciliation through the friendly offices of a 
Mediator, — is a truth of which not a glimmering of 
evidence can be discerned on the works of nature. 
The phenomena of the universe throw no light upon the 



sermon r. 35 

subject: "It is neither written by the sunbeam, nor 
wafted on the breeze. " In a word, it can be gathered 
only from the Bible. 

Our subject, dear hearers, further teaches us humi- 
lity. If we are unable, even with the advantages of an 
express and a particular revelation, to comprehend 
God, it surely becomes us to contemplate with the most 
profound self-abasement, his perfections, his works, 
and his word. Let us be fully sensible of the weak- 
ness of our capacities. Let us beware of imagining 
that we are competent to explore the purposes of Jeho- 
vah, to fathom his proceedings, or to determine what 
it is proper for him to do in the government of his own 
universe. Instead of aspiring to be wise above what 
is written, let us take the holy volume as our certain 
and unerring rule of belief and conduct, in relation to 
the Great Supreme. Let us bow with implicit reve- 
rence to the authority of scripture, employing our own 
reason as an interpreter of its principles and its pre- 
cepts, and not as an arbiter to decide on the truth of 
its contents. Let us acquiesce meekly and devoutly 
in all the various allotments of divine providence, how- 
ever dark and inscrutable they may seem. Let us 
rest on the persuasion that our destiny is in the hands 
of one who is infinitely wise, and powerful, and good; 
and that if we only serve him aright in this world, the 
period is coming when much that is now incomprehen- 
sible in his character and doings, shall be cleared up — 
a period when we shall know him better, and love him 
more, than we can possibly do at present. Let us wait 
for this period, and, until its arrival, live by faith. 



SERMON II. 






ECCLESIASTES XII. 7. (Last Clause.) 
— " And the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." 

That man is a being compounded of matter and 
spirit, is an opinion of such high antiquity, that the an- 
nals of philosophy afford few data for enabling us to 
determine the time and place of its origin. It formed 
a part of the system of Pythagoras, who flourished as 
much as two centuries before Socrates, and was cer- 
tainly one of the most extraordinary of the Grecian 
sages. His notions on this subject were probably ac- 
quired during his residence in Egypt, to which, as the 
great mart of learning and science, he repaired in his 
youth, for study and improvement. Where the Egyp- 
tians obtained their knowledge, cannot be positively 
affirmed, though it may be fairly presumed, that they 
derived from the posterity of Abraham, while the latter 
inhabited their country, valuable traditionary informa- 
tion respecting the Deity, the creation of the world, 
and the nature and destination of man. It is admitted, 
that the priests of Egypt were far in advance of the 
Jews with regard to arithmetic, geometry, and general 
literature. But they must have been greatly inferior 
to the people whom they had enslaved, in the know- 
ledge of authenticated history and true religion. 

The opinion, that two distinct substances — if we 
nay so speak — matter and spirit — enter into the com- 



SERMON it. 37 

position of human nature, was obviously in the mind of 
Solomon, when he penned the verse of which our text is 
a part. " Then shall the dust return to the earth as it 
was, and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." 
He here distinguishes, with as much accuracy as lan- 
guage would seem to allow, between the two constituent 
principles of man. He does not, to be sure, seat himself 
in the metaphysician's chair, and undertake to point out, 
in what respect the one of these principles essentially 
differs from the other. He simply asserts the important 
fact, that their destiny at death is dissimilar, and even 
opposite. 

The passage before us reminds us of the creation of 
man as narrated in the inspired record of Moses. We 
there read, that the almighty Architect fashioned the hu- 
man being out of the dust of the ground, and then breath- 
ed into his nostrils the breath of life. The amount of this 
statement would seem to be, that the material frame of 
Adam was endued with an immaterial soul. Some, in- 
deed, have supposed, that by "the breath of life," may 
be meant nothing more than the principle of animation, 
whatever it is, which belongs to man in common with 
other living creatures. But the peculiar style in which 
the formation of our first parent is related, must, we think, 
be understood as marking some decided superiority, in 
respect both to nature and destination, over the other in- 
habitants of this world. Besides, the Hebrew term ren- 
dered by our translators life, is in the plural number — 
the breath of lives. Now, this circumstance, though it 
may not be thought sufficiently important, to be made the 
basis of a very serious argument, deserves at least a de- 
gree of consideration. It would appear to warrant the 
idea, that there was communicated from the Deity to man, 

3 



38 SERMON II. 

a principle of existence in addition to, and distinct from, 
the general principle of animal being. 

We conceive, then, that the term spirit is applied by 
Solomon, in the text, to the human soul, for the purpose 
of denoting its entire dissimilarity from the body. We 
have no doubt, that such phraseology was employed by 
him, in accommodation to the prevailing sentiments of 
the country and age in which he lived. But we are not 
less certain, that it is phraseology, the accuracy of which 
has been perceived and admitted by correct thinkers in 
all nations and periods of the world. 

It is not our intention this morning to enter into a very 
elaborate discussion relative to the nature of the human 
mind. The subject, you are aware, is one respecting 
which there has not been a uniformity of opinion among 
philosophers. While the majority of inquirers have con- 
curred in viewing the mind as an immaterial substance, 
there have been those who have maintained, either that it 
is nothing more than a highly sublimated species of mat- 
ter, or else that it is simply the result of material organi- 
zation. Of the writers who have espoused the latter doc- 
trine, there is only one whom we could have wished to 
see on the other side of the question. And yet it is, per- 
haps, doing injustice to the great and good Locke, to rank 
him as a decided disbeliever in the spirituality of the soul, 
when he has merely gone so far as to say, that we are 
not entitled to pronounce matter essentially incapable of 
thought. Whatever may have been the opinion which 
he really held, or to which he inclined, his whole specu- 
lation on this point is replete with his characteristic mo- 
desty and caution, and forms a striking contrast to the 
positiveness, if not dogmatism, betrayed by the Hartleys, 
the Darwins, and the Priestleys — men of whose writings 



SERMON II. 39 

it has been justly said, that they are "equally unphiloso- 
phical in the design, and uninteresting in the execution, 
destitute at once of the sober charms of truth, and of those 
imposing attractions which fancy, when united to taste, 
can lend to fiction." The works of these metaphysicians 
have, for some years, been sinking into merited oblivion. 
But a new order of materialists have recently presented 
themselves on the arena of science, who, while they do 
not pretend to affirm, in so many words, that mind is 
matter, yet profess to have made discoveries which would 
seem to imply, that it is capable of being physically 
analysed, in a manner somewhat analogous to the process 
of dissection. According to this scheme, all the phe- 
nomena of thought and feeling depend on certain protu- 
berances of the brain, which the advocates of the system 
denominate organs, while others have conferred on them 
the less elegant appellation of bumps. We can readily 
imagine the smile of ineffable contempt which would have 
crossed the philosophic brow of Locke, even while com- 
mitting to paper his own remarks on the possible materi- 
ality of the mind, had the bust of a modern phrenologist 
been placed on his table. 

In our speculations concerning the human soul, it will 
serve to prevent much indistinctness of perception, and 
uncertainty of aim, if we keep constantly and prominently 
in view a fact which is of fundamental importance in every 
philosophical inquiry. Let it, then, be remembered, that 
all our knowledge, both actual and possible, respecting 
the substances in nature, relates to their properties, and 
not to their inherent essence. Thus, matter is known to 
us simply as something possessed of solidity, extension 
and divisibility. And so mind is known to us merely as 
something endued with the qualities of thought, volition 



40 SERMON II. 

sluA feeling. Here, on the one hand, and on the other, 
is the ultimate boundary of our information — a boundary 
more impenetrable than the mountains of ice that sur- 
round the poles of the earth, and bid defiance to the 
mariner's approach. With regard to the peculiarity which 
distinguishes the intimate structure of these two substan- 
ces — matter and mind — we are, and must always be, so 
long as we continue in the present state, entirely ignorant. 
It will be perceived, therefore, that the knowledge which 
we have acquired in respect to the existence and proper- 
ties of matter, is not more certain and complete, than that 
which we have acquired in respect to the existence and 
properties of mind. We know full as much of the latter, 
as we do of the former — and, perhaps, more. And yet — 
strange to say — the theories of the materialists have al- 
ways proceeded on the erroneous supposition, that we 
are better acquainted with matter, than with mind. Who, 
then, can wonder, that such speculators, having entered 
on their researches with views so radically unphilosophi- 
cal, should have arrived at a false result? 

Now, the qualities of matter, and those of mind, are 
utterly and entirely different. We might even say, that 
they are opposite. What resemblance have solidity 
and extension to thought and feeling? Where is the 
analogy between divisibility and volition? There is 
surely no resemblance — there is no analogy. We are, 
therefore, under the necessity of conceding, that matter is 
one thing, and mind another thing. It is an abuse of 
language, as well as a violation of the principles of true 
science, to apply the same name to two substances, 
whose properties — by which only we know either of them 
— are so strikingly dissimilar. We wish, that the ma- 
terialist would inquire how broad is a remembrance; and 



SERMON IT. 41 

into how many parts he supposes, that the emotion of 
joy, operated on by proper instruments, might be divided. 
It would likewise be worthy of his investigation, to de- 
termine which is the larger, and in what precise ratio, a 
hope or a fear. There are, besides, many curious ques- 
tions which he might resolve, concerning the bulk, weight, 
and other physical properties of an imagination. Let no 
one conceive, that these remarks are irrelevant. They 
bear most directly on the real merits of the point at issue; 
for, as has been well observed, " in saying of mind, that 
it is matter, we must mean, if we mean any thing, that 
the principle which thinks, is extended, hard and divisi- 
ble." Such, in a single word, is the true purport of the 
materialist's doctrine. 

But we shall not pursue an argument which we feel is 
not very well adapted to the pulpit. Enough has been 
said, it is presumed, to convince you, that Solomon ex- 
pressed himself with the accuracy of a just philosopher, 
when he called the soul of man a spirit. He regarded it 
as something entirely distinct from the dust of which the 
body is composed, and on this ground rested, in part, his 
belief of its continued existence after the dissolution of the 
latter. And here, brethren, let us tell you, that the 
immateriality of the human mind affords one of the 
strongest evidences of its immortality. We are entitled 
to believe, that the same causes which produce de- 
cay in substances endued with extension and divisi- 
bility, can have no such effect on those endued with 
thought and volition. The dissolution of matter is occa- 
sioned by the separation of its component parts. But 
spirit, which is not made up of parts, would seem to be 
naturally indestructible. We know it has been said, 
that material and immaterial substances arc alike depen- 



42 sermon n. 

dent, for the continuance of their being, on the will of the 
Creator, and that he can render the one immortal, quite 
as readily as the other. While we admit, that there is 
truth in this suggestion, we cannot retract what we have 
asserted, that the spirituality of the soul is the best evi- 
dence which reason furnishes, that it is destined to sur- 
vive the ravages of death. To the nature of the mind, as 
something essentially distinct from the body, we appeal, 
for the clearest and most satisfactory proof, independent- 
ly of revelation, that it shall never perish. Nor do we 
at all believe, that the doctrine of the soul's immortality 
has been, in the least, injured, as materialists have often 
alleged, by those who have argued for it chiefly from the 
immateriality of the thinking principle. 

We have said, that the spirituality of the human mind 
was regarded by Solomon as an evidence of its immor- 
tality. And yet the inference has been hastily drawn 
from some detached passages of his works, that he was 
not himself a believer in the future existence of the soul. 
Thus, in one place, he exclaims, " I said in mine heart 
concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might 
manifest them, and that they might see, that they them- 
selves are beasts. For that which befalleth the sons 
of men, befalleth the beasts ; even one thing befalleth 
them : as the one dieth, so dieth the other ; yea, they have 
all one breath : so that a man hath no pre-eminence above 
a beast ; for all is vanity. All go unto one place ; all are 
of the dust, and all turn to dust again." Now, we shall 
not deny, that this passage, taken by itself, might induce 
a reader to suspect, that the writer did not believe in the 
future existence of man. But we contend, that, when 
fairly construed agreeably to the general tenour of the 
production in which it is found, its import must be seen, 



SERMON II. 43 

even on a casual glance, to be very different. Solomon's 
object, in these words, is merely to illustrate the vanity 
of human life, by showing how similar, in many respects, 
is its termination to the death of the irrational animals. 
He refers, throughout the comparison, only to the body, 
and not to the soul, as appears sufficiently from the sen- 
tence immediately succeeding the verses just quoted, 
where he says, " Who knoweth the spirit of a man that 
goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth down- 
ward?" There is no ambiguity here. A distinction is 
drawn in the clearest and most decided terms, between 
the ulterior destination of man, and that of other living 
creatures. But further remark would be superfluous. 
The verse of which our present text is a part, must cer- 
tainly satisfy every candid reader, that the immortality 
of the soul was an article of Solomon's creed. Does he 
not say, in this verse, that while the dust shall return 
to the earth as it was, the spirit is destined to ascend to 
Him who gave it? What language, we should like to 
know, can be more explicit than this ? Indeed, it would 
almost seem as if the wise man, in anticipation of the un- 
just inference which some might endeavour to draw 
from previous passages of his writings, had resolved to 
deliver himself, in such a manner, in the conclusion of 
his last work, as might obviate all misconception in res- 
pect to his real sentiments. 

The immateriality of the mind has been alleged as one 
main argument in support of the position, that the spirit 
returns, on the dissolution of the body, to God who gave 
it; or, in other words, that the thinking principle con- 
tinues in being after death. A second argument nearly 
allied to this, in behalf of the same momentous truth, 
might be drawn from the transcendent faculties with 



44 SERMON II. 

which the Creator has replenished the human under- 
standing. When we contemplate these faculties — Rea- 
son, Judgment, Memory, Imagination ; or, rather, when 
we survey the various operations of which the one indi- 
visible principle of mind is capable, — we come almost 
irresistibly to the conclusion, that a substance so richly 
endowed must be immortal. When we open the records 
of science, and examine the actual achievements of intel- 
lect, we recoil from the thought, that it is fated to perish 
by the same ignoble stroke that prostrates the body. Be- 
sides, we behold in the soul an illimitable capacity for 
the ingress of ideas ; a desire for the reception of know- 
ledge, which is never saturated ; a susceptibility of im- 
provement which time, instead of exhausting, serves only 
to increase. Life is much too short to enable the mind of 
man to attain to that high proficiency, to which it ardently 
aspires, and for which it would seem to be ultimately 
destined. Must we, then, suppose that the human being 
is cut down in the very infancy of his career? That his 
mental faculties, so replete with promise, are all suddenly 
arrested and annihilated in the very inception of their 
development? Is there not something in our present cir- 
cumstances and condition, which proclaims intelligibly 
and emphatically, that a future and a nobler theatre for 
exertion and improvement, is in reserve for us beyond the 
grave? In short, it has been forcibly remarked, that to 
presume, that man has been gifted with such powers as 
we have mentioned, and rendered capable of indefinite 
progression in knowledge, and all in reference to no 
higher sphere of action than " this dim spot called earth" 
— is as preposterous as it were to imagine, that an indi- 
vidual should be clothed in scarlet, and decorated with 
diamonds, for the business of the plough, or instructed in 



SERMON IL 45 

the arts and sciences, in order to qualify him for attending 
a herd of swine. 

In connexion with the consideration just stated, we 
may observe, that the difference which obviously obtains 
between man and the irrational animals, in respect to ac- 
tual enjoyment on earth, furnishes strong presumptive 
evidence in behalf of the important truth for which we 
contend. This world seems suited to the ample and 
final gratification of the latter. From the various physi- 
cal objects with which they are surrounded, they derive 
supreme and unalloyed pleasure. The cattle that browse 
in the fields, the birds that carol in the air, and the fishes 
that sport in the water, enjoy sensual happiness, supe- 
rior both in kind and degree, to any of which the human 
being partakes. The delights of sense are far too meagre 
to gratify his towering appetites. Instead of affording 
him substantial and enduring enjoyment, they always 
contribute, when too eagerly pursued and immoderately 
grasped, to impair his health, mar his peace, and eutail 
upon him a train of numberless calamities. He fails not 
to discover, sooner or later, that they are little better than 
"vanity and vexation of spirit." Now, this important 
difference between the rational and the merely sentient 
being, points, we think, to a corresponding difference in 
their respective destinations. If the existence of man 
were to be finally cut short at death, it would seem as if 
the benevolent purposes of Heaven in his creation, were, 
in a measure frustrated. He falls like other animals 
while, unlike them, he has not been fully blessed. His 
mind — the very principle of his dignity — that which ap- 
pears to constitute him their superior, and to crown him 
as the lord of this lower world, — renders him less capa- 
ble of enjoyment amid the scenes of his pre-eminence. 



46 SERMON IL 

Man, on the supposition that there is no futurity, is of all 
earthly beings, the most miserable. His existence, li- 
mited to the present world, is an enigma that serves only 
to confound those ideas of the divine wisdom and be- 
nignity, which every thing else in nature is so admirably 
fitted to excite. If he is not to live in another state where 
perfect happiness is attainable, it is difficult to conjec- 
ture for what end he was formed. 

A further argument in support of the immortality of the 
mind, has been derived from the inequality which marks 
the dispensations of Providence in the present world. 
There is not here that exact accordance between charac- 
ter and condition, which we should calculate on finding 
in the government of a holy and just Divinity. It often 
happens, that a greater share of prosperity is enjoyed by 
the bad, than by the good. Solomon, the most acute ob- 
server of human life, thus asserts the fact : " There is a 
just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is 
a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness." 
Some writers, indeed, have laboured, by a species of sub- 
tile reasoning, to show, that the inequality of which we 
now speak, is more in appearance than in reality.* They 
contend, that although much difference is visible in the 



* The following passage occurs in a letter from Lord Bolingbroke to Swift. 
He speaks of Pope's Essay on Man, which his poetical friend was then engaged 
in writing : — 

"It is a noble subject; he [Pope] pleads the cause of God, (I use Seneca's 
expression,) against that famous charge which Atheists in all ages have brought 
— the supposed unequal dispensations of Providence; a charge which I cannot 
heartily forgive your divines for admitting. You admit it, indeed, for an ex- 
treme good purpose, and you build on this admission the necessity of a future 
state of rewards and punishments. But what if you should find that this fu- 
ture state will not account, in opposition to the Atheist, for God's justice in the 
present state, which you give up? Would it not have been better to defend 
God's justice in this world, against these daring men, by irrefragable reasons, 



SERMON IT. 47 

outward circumstances of men, yet the balance of advan- 
tages and disadvantages, in all the various conditions 
of life, may be so evenly adjusted by an impartial Deity, 
that the amount of actual enjoyment is nearly, and, per- 
haps, quite the same. Happiness, say these authors, de- 
pends primarily upon the state of the mind — its views, 
its feelings, and its wishes. External prosperity is no 
unfailing index of internal tranquillity. In the midst of 
wealth, and honour, and power, the human being may be 
really miserable. On the other hand, seeming adversity 
does not infallibly denote mental infelicity. Tattered 
garments, scanty fare, and a diseased body, may belong 
to one, within whose breast there mantles the sunshine 
of an unclouded calm. There is some plausibility, we 
grant, in this representation of things. We do not, how- 
ever, think it necessary to enter into an elaborate argu- 
ment for the purpose of exposing its fallacy. We would 
only ask you to go abroad through the numerous walks 
of actual life, and see how far these ingenious speculations 
of the closet, correspond with what you there behold. We 
shall be egregiously deceived if you do not find little 
within the range of your observation, however extended 
it may be, to corroborate the philosopher's assumption, 
that the happiness of the mind is independent of external 
circumstances — that when the body is afflicted with want 
or racked with pain, perfect serenitude may pervade the 
soul. You will soon discover, that such a position is 
most strikingly confuted by the facts that come before 
your eye; yes, and you may be still more fully con- 
vinced of its unsoundness, if it should ever be your lot 
to know, from personal experience, the effect of some of 

and to have rested the proof of the other point on revelation? I do not like 
concessions made against demonstration, repair or supply them how you will." 



48 SERMON II. 

those evils which the speculating sage, as he muses in his 
easy chair, surrounded with every comfort, accounts so 
very tolerable, evils which, though they may be readily 
mitigated and counteracted in theory, are generally found 
more obstinate and unmanageable in practice. In short, 
this is a question on which it is safest to follow the com- 
mon sense of mankind, and we are very sure, that no one 
but a philosopher ever thought of denying or doubting the 
unequal distribution of good and evil, which charac- 
terizes the doings of Providence here below. If, then^ 
there is a Deity who sits upon the throne of nature — a 
throne of which righteousness and judgment are the foun- 
dation, — he cannot fail to make a due distinction, sooner 
or later, " between them that serve him, and them that 
serve him not." As surely as he is just, and holy, and 
good, all present inequalities shall be rectified at a future 
period, and in a future state. The happiness or misery 
of every accountable agent in the universe, must be ulti- 
mately in the exact ratio of his moral deserts. As this is 
not the case with man on earth — as vice here is often 
more prosperous than virtue, — we may fairly presume 
that his being is to be prolonged in another and retribu- 
tive world. The supposition, that the soul is immortal, 
seems necessary, then, to vindicate the divine character 
and proceedings. Without it, we shall be completely 
foiled in all our attempts to 

" ■ Assert eternal Providence, 

And justify the ways of God to men." 

An additional argument for the future existence of the 
soul, has been built on the general belief of mankind in 
relation to this subject. It is certain, that the expectation 
of life beyond the grave, however it may have been ob- 
tained—whether it be a deduction of reason, or a remnant 



SERMON II. 49 

of information originally communicated from the Deity 
to the first man, and by him handed down to his pos- 
terity, — has formed an article of the popular creed in all 
periods, and in almost all countries. It is found to pre- 
vail, at this day, among some of the rudest tribes on our 
earth. The untutored savage, who dwells afar from the 
radiance of revelation, and on whom the dimmer light of 
philosophy has not shone, comforts himself amid the pri- 
vations and calamities incident to his present state, by 
looking forward to 

"Some safer world in depths of woods embraced, 
Some happier island in the wat'ry waste." 

Now, the question has been asked, can we reasonably 
imagine, that an expectation thus deeply seated in the 
human bosom, and widely diffused throughout the human 
race, is wholly unfounded? Is it consonant with the 
benignity of the Creator, to suffer a whole order of intel- 
ligent beings to indulge a hope of immortality which is 
never to be realized?.. ..But this argument will strike 
different minds with a different degree of force, and as its 
strength may be thus variously estimated, the judicious 
thinker will not be tempted to lay upon it an undue 
stress. 

A similar remark is applicable to an argument which 
curious observers have sometimes derived from the analo- 
gies of nature. For example, the natural history of in- 
sects presents a remarkable fact, which shows, that it is 
possible even for material animals to undergo a very con- 
siderable and striking change in their modes of being — a 
change as little credible to one who was not aware that 
it had been indubitably ascertained, as the continued 
existence of the human spirit in a new form, after the dis- 
solution of the clay fabric, with which its existence, and 



50 SERMON II. 

all its operations on earth appear to be inseparably allied. 
Who would not wonder on hearing, for the first time, that 
the grub, on which we look with so much disgust as it 
crawls along the ground, becomes, after a short period of 
torpidity, a beautiful butterfly, that banquets on the nec- 
tar of the flower, and glitters in the beams of the summer 
sun? And. yet such is the fact. The wing of this gay 
insect, which captivates our unaided vision, and whose 
variegated hues, when surveyed through the microscope, 
command the astonished gaze of the naturalist, emerged 
from the tomb into which an unsightly catterpillar sunk. 
Now, may we not hence infer, that there is nothing like 
improbability in the opinion, that death, instead of im- 
plying the annihilation of the human being, is merely a 
process through which he enters into a different and su- 
perior condition of existence?.. ..But we shall not pur- 
sue a mode of reasoning, on which it has been already 
intimated, that too much reliance ought not to be placed. 
Brethren, we have now presented you with a brief 
view of the several arguments which have been com- 
monly resorted to, in support of the immortality of the 
soul. After all, however, it must not be concealed, that 
these arguments afford only a high degree of probability 
in relation to this point. They are insufficient of them- 
selves to create a clear and an unfaltering conviction, that 
man is born for eternity. For such conviction, which 
lies at the basis of all rational and practical religion, we 
are indebted to the sacred volume. It is by the gospel 
that life and immortality are brought to light. Here we 
learn, of a certainty, that the dissolution of the body is 
not followed by the extinction of the mind — that, when 
the dust returns to the earth as it was, the spirit returns 
to (rod who gave it. 



SERMON II. 51 

And for what purpose does the spirit return to God 
who gave it? Our limits will not allow us to answer this 
question in detail. We would merely remark, in a single 
word, that the spirit returns to God who gave it, in order 
to he tried at his har for the deeds done in the hody, and 
then assigned to a condition of interminable happiness, 
or interminable misery, according to the nature and de- 
sert of those deeds. Reason leads us to presume, that, 
if the human being is to exist in a future state at all, the 
circumstances of such existence must correspond to the 
moral character which he had sustained on earth. And 
revelation expressly assures us, that, " it is appointed 
unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." It is 
most certain, then, that the unalterable destiny of every 
one is determined in the crisis of his dissolution. There 
is, at that moment, passed upon him, a sentence of right- 
eous retribution, which takes immediate effect, and which, 
in the approaching day of the general judgment, shall be 
republished and confirmed before an assembled universe. 

Here, then, brethren, we are brought to the conclusion 
and improvement of our subject. If death, which de- 
stroys the body, has no other effect upon the spirit, than 
to remove it from a state of probation to one of retribu- 
tion, how important is it, that our conduct in this life, 
should be regulated by a due sense of our ulterior desti- 
nation ! Let us always act under a deep persuasion of our 
immortality. Let us not forget, even for a moment, that 
these material structures are endued with a principle dis- 
tinct, in all its properties, from matter — a principle which 
shall survive the dissolution of the planets, and outlive 
the splendour of the stars — a principle which, when mil- 
lions and millions of ages have rolled away, shall con- 
tinue fresh, and young, and vigorous as ever ; either ris- 



52 SERMON II. 

ing to higher and higher degrees of enjoyment in the 
paradise of God — climbing the sun-bright steeps of glory, 
without a barrier to obstruct its brilliant way, — or else 
sinking deeper and deeper in the abyss of misery, its 
torments receiving new accessions of keenness, as its dis- 
tance from the regions of light and purity increases! 
Who that thinks for an instant of the future career of the 
human being, does not feel the force of our Lord's reflec- 
tion, "What is a man profited, if he should gain the 
whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a 
man give in exchange for his soul?" Poor, indeed, would 
be that individual, who should barter the undying princi- 
ple within him, for all that this earth, in the shape of 
riches, honours, and pleasures, has to bestow. When he 
reaches the margin of eternity, these delusive pageants 
must wing their flight, and leave behind them nothing 
save the torturing recollection of advantages misimproved, 
and time misemployed. 

And now, dear hearers, in the view of such solemn 
truths, we would entreat you, one and all, to prepare, 
with becoming earnestness and anxiety, for that crisis in 
which the dust shall return to the earth as it was, and the 
spirit ascend to God who gave it. Remember that life is 
a mere " vapour, that appeareth for a little while, and 
then vanisheth away." Very near is the period, when 
we who have met to-day in this house of worship — 
speaker and hearer, — shall be numbered with the many 
generations who have already passed over this brief stage 
of action, and entered within the veil of eternity. Yes, 
and let us tell you — even you, our young auditors, — that 
soon your bodies, which it is now your chief concern to 
decorate and to gratify, shall be mingled with their ele- 
mentary dust. And will you devote supremely an 



SERMON II. 53 

existence so short and uncertain as the present, to any 
other purpose than that of securing an unalienable inhe- 
ritance beyond the grave ? O! tell us, will you waste in 
comparatively frivolous pursuits, those inestimable mo- 
ments, on whose improvement the tremendous destinies 
of your future being are suspended? Ignorant of the day 
and hour in which your souls shall be required of you, 
will you not endeavour to be always ready for a summons 
to the bar of your Maker and Judge ? " The Son of man 
is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and 
gave authority to his servants, and to every man his 
work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye, 
therefore; for ye know not when the master of the house 
cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock-crowing, 
or in the morning ; lest coming suddenly, he find you 
sleeping. And what I say unto you, I say unto all, 
watch. " 

Brethren, we cannot leave you, without repeating the 
same truth which you have heard from this pulpit a thou- 
sand times before. If you would contemplate death, each 
individual for himself, as the prelude to a blissful and glo- 
rious immortality, you must found your hopes implicitly 
and entirely on the Lord Jesus Christ. In him alone is there 
salvation for sinners like yourselves. Confide in his 
atonement, and then you may anticipate, with meek and 
tranquil submission to the divine will, that approaching 
day, when the body shall return to its kindred dust, and 
the liberated spirit soar to the Being from whom it sprung. 
And now, what more shall we say? "Let us hear the 
conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God, and keep 
his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 
For Grod shall bring every work into judgment, with every 
secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." 

5 



SERMOX III. 






PSALM XV. 



"Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? 
He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the 
truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil 
to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. In whose 
eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. 
He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not 
out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that 
doeth these things shall never be moved." 

The sacred Scriptures, it has been often remarked, 
divide mankind into two great classes. According to this 
classification, every human being is either the friend or 
the enemy of God. Our Lord, when on earth, expressly 
taught his disciples, that those who were not with him, 
were against him. Neutrality in the matter of religion, 
is wholly out of the question. There can be no medium 
between the performance and the neglect of duty — no 
half-way ground between obedience to the divine will, 
and disobedience; no stationary spot between holiness 
and unholiness; no definable point equally removed from 
the service of God and the service of Mammon — from the 
love and the hatred of that Being, " in whose hand is our 
breath, and whose are all our ways." 

Now, it is surely of the last importance, that each in- 
dividual should know, to which of these classes he be- 
longs. And how is this question to be determined ? We 
answer, that the characteristical traits, the distinguishing 
marks, of the truly pious man, are described most clearly 
and minutely in the word of God ; so that we may all, 



SERMON III. 55 

fey tlie comparison of our moral feelings and conduct with 
this infallible standard, arrive at some knowledge of our 
character and condition in the view of heaven. Thus it 
is the object of David, in the psalm before us, to exhibit 
some of the most prominent of these attributes which de- 
signate the friend and servant of the Most High. He 
accordingly begins by proposing the query, " Lord, who 
shall abide in thy tabernacle ? who shall dwell in thy 
holy hill ?» 

It cannot be necessary to attempt a critical exposition 
of this metaphorical phraseology. To the ancient Jews, 
the tabernacle was an expressive figure of the good man's 
earthly pilgrimage, as the hill of Zion was a significant 
emblem of that condition which awaits him after death. 
The import of the first verse, then, must be sufficiently 
obvious. It is as if the Psalmist had written — Who 
shall enjoy the present comforts, and the future blessings 
which religion bestows? Who shall possess the favour 
of God in this world, and dwell with him for ever in the 
world to come ? — This question, we observe, is addressed 
to the Lord, or, as it is in the original, Jehovah. And 
why is it addressed to him? Because it relates to a 
matter which is known, with the highest and most unerr- 
ing certainty to the divine omniscience ; and also because 
it is the province of our Father in heaven, to render us 
acquainted with our standing and prospects as religious 
beings. His all- piercing eye can penetrate the deepest 
recesses of the human heart, and detect its most secret 
thoughts and desires. And he, too, has promised to de- 
vout men, his holy spirit, to bear witness with their spi- 
rits, that they are his children; to sooth and animate 
them with the hope that their sins are forgiven, and that 
the felicities of paradise shall be their eternal reward. 

The first trait which the Psalmist assigus as indicative 



56 SERMON III. 

of the good man, is more general and less definite than 
those which follow. " He that walketh uprightly, and 
worketh righteousness." This is one among numberless 
passages of the inspired record, which insist upon moral 
rectitude as an indispensable passport to the divine fa- 
vour. It has been a common objection to the Christian 
system, with the ignorant and the uncandid, that it tends 
to lessen the obligation and importance of those virtues 
which are in the highest esteem among men, and are most 
essential to social order and happiness ; that it confers an 
undue value upon a certain set of devotional feelings, 
such as faith, and hope, and love, with regard to the ex- 
istence and the degree of which, there must always be 
great danger of deception on the part of the individual 
himself, and still greater danger on the part of others. 
We freely admit, and deeply lament, that some syste- 
matic expositors of Christianity have presented views of 
its doctrines, calculated in some measure, to countenance 
the objection of which we speak. We refer not now to 
the writers called Antinomian. We know that there may 
be found paragraphs even in our orthodox divines, espe- 
cially those of a less recent date, so incautiously express- 
ed as to give point, if not justness, to that sarcasm of the 
wittiest of poets, when he describes morality as that 

" Which both the saints, 

And wicked too, cry out against." 

But we are bold to affirm, that the Bible, while it teaches 
the entire insufficiency of mere moral virtues, to save the 
individual who is a stranger to penitence and faith, de- 
clares, in terms the most perspicuous and peremptory, 
that, where these virtues are wanting, there can be neither 
penitence nor faith. In fact, the ethical precepts contain- 
ed in the sacred volume, display a purity and a rigour 
altogether singular and distinctive. There is no other 



SERMON III. 57 

code of morals, belonging either to ancient or to modern 
times, which tasks so sternly and severely all the prin- 
ciples and powers of man. 

Let it, then, be distinctly understood, that no one is 
entitled to the name and rewards of piety, who does 
not walk uprightly and work righteousness. The strict- 
est and most scrupulous probity must mark all his in- 
tercourse with his fellow-men. Every transaction in 
which he engages, whether great or small, whether 
public or private, must be in accordance with the high- 
est demands of justice. In him must be realized the 
sublime conception of the poet, when he speaks of the 
man whose "eye even turned on empty space, beams 
keen with honour." In a word, he must endeavour 
rigidly to conform his conduct to that golden rule which 
our Lord laid down, when he instructed his disciples to 
do to others, in all circumstances, precisely as they would 
have others to do to them. 

And here we may remark, that the root of the He- 
brew term rendered uprightly, in the passage before 
us, literally signifies to be perfect. It is the same word, 
for example, that occurs in the seventeenth chapter of 
Genesis, and first verse, where God says to Abraham, 
" Walk before me, and be thou perfect." Another instance 
of its occurrence we have in the description of Job, which 
represents him as " a perfect and upright man." 

Yet we must not hence infer, that absolute perfection 
is attainable in the present life. In the Psalm imme- 
diately preceding the one on wich we are now comment- 
ing, the inspired writer expressly declares, that " there 
is none righteous, no not one." Although Job is said to 
have been & perfect man, yet in speaking of himself he 
exclaims, "If I justify myself, my own mouth shall con- 
demn me ; if 1 say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me 



58 SERMON III. 

perverse." The original word for perfect, is the same in 
both cases. 

It is, then, a Scriptural truth, that so long as we con- 
tinue in this world, a measure of imperfection mingles 
itself with our holiest exercises and performances. In 
the language of theologians, we are released from all the 
guilt, but not from all the power, of sin. The apostle 
Paul, even after he had made high attainments in piety, 
frankly acknowledged, that in him, that is, in his flesh, 
dwelt no good thing; for to will was present with him, 
but how to perform that which was good, he found not ; 
the good that he would, he did not, and the evil that he 
would not, that he did. With his experience we are 
sure that the experience of all true Christians, whatever 
may be their doctrinal views on this article, must coin- 
cide. Their progress in pure and undefiled religion, in- 
stead of encouraging them to cherish the hope of sinless 
perfection, can have no other effect than to render them 
more deeply sensible of their remaining faults and infir- 
mities ; they will still discern in themselves an unsub- 
dued propensity to offend, in some particulars, against 
the perfect law of their God. Just in proportion to the 
advances which they are enabled by the grace of heaven 
to make in the conquest of their own hearts, will be their 
discovery, that " there remaineth yet very much land to 
be possessed." Every step that they travel along the 
path to glory, so far from appearing to bring them nearer 
the termination of their journey, will disclose new and 
loftier obstacles to be surmounted — more steep, and 
craggy, and perilous eminences to be scaled : 

"Hills peep o'er hills, and Alps on Alps arise." 

But there is virtue in aiming at an end which we can- 
not attain — in aspiring to an elevation which we cannot 
reach. Our actual performances, too, will always be 



SERMON III. 59 

proportioned to the extent of our endeavours. If Alex- 
ander had not commenced his career of conquest with 
the resolution to subjugate the whole world, he would not 
have carried his victorious arms from Macedonia to the 
country of the Ganges. If Paul had not made a strenuous 
and persevering effort to possess the same mind that was 
in Christ, he would not have advanced so far as he did, 
in real conformity to the moral likeness of his Lord and 
Master. Besides, the law of God, which is an expres- 
sion of his own immaculate purity, cannot require less 
than perfect obedience. Jehovah may, indeed, conde- 
scend to accept, for the sake of his Son, imperfect obedi- 
ence. But such obedience it would not comport with 
his character and dignity, as the governor of the universe, 
to demand. The language of the Saviour to his disciples 
was, " Be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is per- 
fect." 

The Psalmist, having described in general terms the 
character of a good man, goes on to state a few par- 
ticulars for the better elucidation of his subject. He tells 
us, that the individual who shall abide in the tabernacle, 
and dwell in the holy hill of the Lord, must speak the 
truth in, or from, the heart. 

Some writers on the science of moral philosophy, have 
treated the obligation of truth, as a kind of tacit contract, 
which, for the common interests of society, subsists among 
men. But surely an obligation so solemn must rest upon 
a basis more real and stable than this. It is one of the 
elementary principles of our moral nature, and conscience, 
that faithful representative of the supreme Judge in the 
human soul, lifts her disapproving voice as often as it is 
violated. The individual who utters a falsehood, feels, 
not that he has broken an implied promise to speak only 
the truth to those with whom he converses, but that he 



60 SERMON III. 

has offended against his Maker. This is the true ground 
of his self-reproach and self-condemnation. 

A falsehood has been defined " any departure in words 
(and we might add, or in actions) from the reality of 
things, made with an intention to deceive." Where such 
intention does not obtain, as in narratives professedly fic- 
titious, or in the complimentary modes of subscribing a 
letter which custom dictates, there is no violation of vera- 
city. In a word, the essence of a falsehood consists in 
the design to deceive. Agreeably to this principle, 
we must pronounce every equivocation an untruth. And 
so we must say, that the guilt of lying is imputable to the 
person who iudulges a propensity not very uncommon in 
company, of attempting to embellish a relation, and lend 
it higher interest, by the addition of unreal circumstances. 
More criminal is the conduct of the tradesman who seeks 
to hide the faults, or exaggerate the merits of his mer- 
chandize ; or Who with an eye to a larger profit, declares 
that he paid for what he offers for sale more than it ac- 
tually cost him ; or who, to avoid the unpleasant task of 
offending those whom he does not like to trust, assures 
them, that he has just sold the last of the article which 
they want. We think, too, notwithstanding what Dr. 
Paley has intimated to the contrary, that the lady who 
directs her servant to say to the visitant at the door, that 
she is " not at home," when she is sitting up in her cham- 
ber or nursery, is a liar in as strict a sense as any of 
which the term is susceptible. With regard to the case 
of a prisoner when arraigned for trial, pleading " not guil- 
ty," we have only to say, that while much allowance is 
no doubt due to the infirmity of human nature in such a 
situation, a criminal under the influence of proper views 
and feelings, cannot do otherwise than at once acknow- 
ledge the offence which he has committed. The writer 



SERMON III. 61 

to whom we have just referred, and who, in our humhle 
opinion, is a most unsound and dangerous casuist, men- 
tions as another instance of falsehoods which he accounts 
innocent, "an advocate's asserting the justice, or his 
belief of the justice, of his client's cause." We trust, for 
the honour of the profession of law, that but few of its 
members would subscribe to such a doctrine in theory, 
even if they have been tempted sometimes to adopt it in 
practice. Nor can we hesitate to condemn the deception 
so often practised by physicians, relatives, and friends, 
with a view to cheer the languid spirits of the sick, and 
promote their recovery. We well know, that they who 
act in this manner, may do so from the most benevolent 
motives. And we would not be understood as intimating 
that persons afflicted with sickness should be unnecessa- 
rily alarmed, or that it is improper, in any case, to em- 
ploy means calculated to enliven their minds, and coun- 
teract the injurious effects of despondency. Indeed, we 
have witnessed instances, in which we could not help 
thinkiug, that such means were not sufficiently resorted 
to, since we were persuaded, that they could hardly exert 
the least unfavourable influence on individuals, respecting 
whose piety and actual fitness for death, no doubt could 
be reasonably entertained. But at the same time that we 
say this, we contend that it is culpable in a high degree, 
to flatter with the delusive hope of life, an impenitent sin- 
ner, whom the lapse of a few hours or days will convey 
to the retributions of eternity. 

The question may now arise, is it ever consistent with 
duty to depart from the truth? Some ethical writers of 
high repute, have not scrupled to answer this query in 
the affirmative. They have given it as their formal and 
deliberate judgment, that cases may occur, in which a 
falsehood, if not positively virtuous and commendable, is 

6 



62 SEKMON III. 

at least excusable. Their views on this point have been 
thus briefly stated : " As the virtue or the vice of actions 
depends, in a great measure, on the utility or the injury 
of their consequences, whenever the benefit of the imme- 
diate consequences of a departure from the truth, as the 
rescuing of an innocent life from the fury or iniquity of 
an assassin or robber, evidently and greatly exceeds the 
remote consequences of the example, in such cases, but 
in no others, can it be justified." This argument, how- 
ever, appears to us inconclusive, because it assumes pre- 
mises which we cannot yield. It is built on the general 
doctrine, that utility is the foundation of virtue; a doc- 
trine, which, though it has been most ably and plausibly 
defended, does not comport with a just and rigid analysis 
of our moral feelings. Let us have a care how we de- 
tract, in any degree, from the obligation of veracity — an 
obligation so solemn, that we tremble even to think of its 
infringement. It may be safely affirmed, that the theo- 
retical standard of morality cannot be raised too high ; 
that our speculative ideas relative to all the great ques- 
tions of right and wrong, cannot be too rigid. We should 
not, indeed, actually expect too much from fallen human 
nature, in the most trying situations in which it can be 
placed. But that philosopher does little benefit to so- 
ciety, whose speculations tend, in any particular, to 
impair the principles and relax the laws of immutable 
rectitude. We are at a loss to conjecture the good that 
is to follow from admitting, that there are emergencies in 
which to depart from the truth may be innocent. 

The Psalmist, continuing his description of the charac- 
ter of a pious man, says, " He that backbiteth not with 
his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up 
a reproach against his neighbour." 

This verse is directed principally against the calum- 



SERMON HI. 63 

niator — the man who falsely, or without a sufficient mo- 
tive, assaults the character of another, and endeavours to 
rob him of that which constitutes the chief value of ex- 
istence. 

There is no one, we presume, who will not admit, and 
who does not feel, that to speak evil of another, is a sin 
involving a high degree of moral turpitude. And yet 
how widely prevalent is this sin, among all classes of 
society! Who of us, dear hearers, can plead entire exemp- 
tion from its polluting influence? Is it not a lamentable 
fact, that we are all more or less prone to detract from 
the merits, and to magnify the faults of one another? Yes, 
whatever may be the motive which prompts us — malice, 
envy, or a mere fondness for idle chat, — we take too 
much pleasure in animadverting upon the history and 
conduct of our neighbours and friends. It affords us 
more gratification to disclose, than to bury in oblivion, 
what we may have heard or seen to their disadvantage. 
Nor does it mend the matter, that we put on an air of 
deep concern, or that we enjoin the strictest secrecy on 
those with whom we converse. There is not in all the 
intercourse of life a stronger evidence of human weak- 
ness and human corruption, than that which the whole 
process of confidential communication supplies. 

We have alluded to the guilt of slander. We may 
add, that like all other sins, it is fraught with folly. It 
is calculated, in the nature of things, to do an essential 
injury to him who commits it. He will discover, sooner 
or later, that what he has said to the disadvantage of 
others, has contributed, in some way, to impair his own 
peace and happiness. The case of the slanderer presents 
no exception to that general law of providence and reve- 
lation, which connects our interest with our duty. On 
this point, we cannot forbear quoting the sound and 



64 SERMON III. 

pungent remark of a French author. It is to this effect : 
" He of whom you speak evil, may become acquainted 
with what you have said, and he will be your enemy; he 
may remain in ignorance of it, and even though what you 
have said were true, you would still have to reproach 
yourself with the meanness of attacking one who had no 
opportunity of defending himself. If slander is to be se- 
cret, it is the crime of a coward ; if it is to become known, 
it is the crime of a madman." 

The sin of which we now speak, has been distinguish- 
ed into two kinds; viz. malicious slander, and inconsider- 
ate slander. Of these the latter is by far the more com- 
mon. We think so favourably of human nature as to 
believe, that there are few comparatively who could be 
base enough to invent, or even give currency to a report 
detrimental to the reputation of an individual, with the 
deliberate intention of injuring him. But we fear, or 
rather we know, that there are many who allow them- 
selves, in unguarded moments, to speak with too much 
freedom respecting absent persons. How often are cen- 
sorious remarks and insinuations thrown out, to relieve 
the tedium of a dinuer party, or evening assemblage, and 
to infuse interest into casual conversation ! It has been 
said by some who profess to be experienced observers, 
that the introduction of cards into company has always a 
perceptible and salutary effect in saving refutations. 
How this is, we shall not take upon us to decide. But 
we venture to affirm, that the same desirable end might 
be attained far more honourably and effectually by sub- 
jecting the tongue and the heart to the influence of correct 
moral and religious principles. 

And here let us observe, that slander is very often 
grafted on that kind of curiosity, which it is too common 
for persons to feel respecting the history, character and 



SERMON III. 65 

pursuits of their neighbours and acquaintances. Against 
such curiosity Paul frequently and earnestly cautions his 
Christian brethren. Thus in his second Epistle to the 
Thessalonians, he says, " We hear that there are some 
who walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but 
are busy-bodies. Now such we command and exhort by 
our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work and 
eat their own bread. " The apostle here takes it for 
granted — and the truth, we suppose, is unquestionable — 
that those whom he calls busy-bodies are generally idlers. 
Indeed, this, from the very nature of things, must be the 
case, because they devote to the concerns of others, that 
time and attention which ought to be employed on their 
own. 

The standing apology of him who is given to detrac- 
tion, is, that what he says to the injury of another's 
character is true. But this plea, however plausible, will 
not avail for his justification. A man is not at liberty, on 
scriptural principles, to utter even the truth, with a view 
of detracting from the merits of his neighbour. The 
apostolic injunction is, "speak not evil one of another." 
This phraseology, it has been well observed, is very ex- 
plicit. The sacred writer, instead of saying, " speak not 
evil FALSELY one of another," omits any such quali- 
fying term, and says simply and absolutely, " speak not 
evil one of another." We sometimes hear the doc- 
trine of the English law, that "the truth may be a libel," 
ridiculed as absurd. We know not precisely what the 
laws of our own country on this subject are. But we feel 
no manner of hesitation in saying, that the doctrine itself 
is correct, however inaccurate in a grammatical point of 
view, may be the language in which it is ordinarily ex- 
pressed. It ought by no means to be admitted, that the 
utterance even of the truth, with the design of throwing a 



(Jg SERMON III. 

shade over the reputation' of an individual, is consistent 
with sound morality and pure religion. 

The Psalmist next says, U In whose eyes a vile person 
is contemned; hut he honoureth them that fear the Lord." 

It is a common maxim, that an estimate of a man's 
character may be fairly formed from the companions with 
whom he habitually associates. A rational being naturally 
seeks congeniality of disposition and pursuit. The Chris- 
tian resorts to the society of those whose deportment at- 
tests the controlling influence of evangelical truth, and 
who feel a lively interest in the cause of virtue and piety. 
The man devoted to literature and science, delights in the 
intercourse of the learned and studious. The lover of 
pleasure betakes himself to the wine-club, or the oyster- 
cellar, in order to meet his cherished associates. 

We see, then, that it is with the strictest propriety that 
the Psalmist here assigns, as one characteristic of the 
good man, that he avoids, as far as practicable, the society 
of the wicked. "In his eyes a vile person is contemned." 
This language does not, indeed, imply, that the Christian 
should cherish supercilious or unkindly sentiments to- 
wards sinners, or that he should hesitate to mingle with 
them, if by so doing he may become the instrument of re- 
claiming them from the error of their ways. Nor should 
it be understood as conveying the idea, that the Christian 
cannot receive occasional pleasure from the society of 
those who, though not pious, are distinguished for the 
intellectual and moral accomplishments which impart so 
much grace and attraction to human intercourse. But 
the meaning of the passage before us is briefly this, that 
the Christian derives no satisfaction from habitual com- 
panionship with the irreligious or the immoral. And 
how can it be otherwise? Is it possible, that he whose 
thoughts and affections are fixed supremely on the glories 



SERMON III. 67 

of the heavenly state — whose purest and dearest joys 
flow from the love and service of his Maker — should 
yet delight in the society of those who are entirely oc- 
cupied with terrestrial objects, and give themselves no 
manner of concern about the character and the command- 
ments of Jehovah ? Well may we ask, in the language 
of the apostle, " What fellowship hath righteousness with 
unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with 
darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial? or 
what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? and 
what agreement hath the temple of God with idols ?" 

The same impulse which constrains the Christian to 
keep aloof from the society of the wicked, leads him to 
delight iu the intercourse of those who love the Lord 
Jesus Christ in sincerity and truth. "He honoureth them 
that fear the Lord." A man of real unassuming piety 
will command the esteem even of those who are strangers 
to practical religion. From such a character none but 
the deeply depraved can withhold their respect and ad- 
miration. Certainly, then, when the genuine disciple 
of the Saviour beholds an individual who lives near to 
his God, and whose deportment in all the diversified re- 
lations of life, is regulated by the precepts and the spirit 
of the gospel, he cannot fail to honour and to love him. 
He feels a close attachment of soul to those who wear the 
image of a common Redeemer. He has for them an af- 
fection similar in nature, though inferior in degree, to that 
pure and exalted friendship, whose bonds unite in one 
fraternal band, the angels that encompass the throne of 
God. " Behold how these Christians love one another !" 
is a compliment, which, however inappropriate to the 
state of things in the present day, may be regarded as the 
most honourable that the religion of Jesus ever procured 
for its votaries. It is the native tendency of this religion 



6Q SERMON III. 

to strengthen the ties of mutual affection among its pro- 
fessors — to foster that chastened and elevated emotion of 
charity, which the Scriptures beautifully compare to the 
dew of Hermon, and the dew that descended upon the 
mountains of Zion, where the Lord commanded the 
blessing, even life for evermore. Let us be sedulous, 
Christian brethren, in the cultivation of this charity. Let 
us devoutly and fervently pray for its increase in our bo- 
soms. And let us rejoice that we live in an age, in which 
the disciples of the Saviour are beginning again to honour 
and to love one another. It is true, that we have little 
ground for exultation, if we compare the present condi- 
tion of the church, with what was exhibited by apostolic 
Christianity, when " the multitude of them that believed 
were of one heart and of one soul." But it is equally 
true, that we have abundant cause for joy, when we con- 
template the religious history of the last thirty years : 
when we see how the various denominations of Chris- 
tians have begun to step over some of those boundaries 
within which they have been so long entrenched by igno- 
rance and prejudice — when we mark how sectarian 
jealousy, with all the nameless Shibboleths of party, is 
receding before the benign radiance of truth, and the hal- 
lowed influence of evangelical feeling. 

The Psalmist, in this same verse, mentions another 
trait, as characteristical of the citizen of Zion. "He 
sweareth to his own hurt and changeth not." On this 
point, however, we need not enlarge, after what has been 
already said respecting the general obligation of truth. 
A pious man will ever have the most inviolable regard 
for his promise. His word is as sacred with him as his 
oath. It is not necessary to bind him with signature and 
seal, in order to secure the faithful performance of a con- 
tract. You will, in no instance, see him making his es- 



SERMON III. 69 

cape through some legal technicality, from an engagement 
just in itself, because he has found out that compliance 
with it would be prejudicial to his interest. 

The Psalmist farther says, « He that putteth not out 
his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the inno- 
cent." 

It is not unworthy of observation, that the Hebrew term 
here rendered usury, radically signifies to bite, " This 
word," we are told by critics, "is supposed to mean a 
contract which converts interest into principal, or conduct 
which produces the same effect ; or a very exorbitant in- 
terest or premium, disproportioned to the risk." In these 
and similar instances, the person who suffers is very pro- 
perly and emphatically said to be bitten. 

A great deal occurs in the Old Testament against 
usury. The Jews were permitted to lend money on in- 
terest to foreigners, but not to one another. Their law on 
this subject we find thus laid down in the book of Deu- 
teronomy: "Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon 
usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon 
usury: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all that 
thou settest thine hand to, in the land whither thou goest 
to possess it." The term usury is not here used to de- 
note exorbitant interest, but interest of any kind. We are 
not, however, to imagine that it is inconsistent with the 
principles of morality, or with those of religion, to re- 
ceive a moderate premium for the loan of money. The 
Mosaic statute to which we have adverted, was a provi- 
sion accommodated to the anomalous circumstances of the 
Jews, who had little trade, and whose legislator, acting 
under the divine direction, framed his civil code with a 
view to preserve, as far as could be, an equal distribution 
of property among all the tribes and families of Judea. 
His law relating to interest, was certainly not intended to 

7 



70 SERMON III. 

be obligatory on any but his own particular countrymen. 
If we entrust our funds to an individual, that he may em- 
ploy them in commercial enterprise, or any profitable 
business, what can be more reasonable and just, than that 
he should pay us, in return, a fair consideration for the 
use of our property? Money is surely as real and pro- 
per an article of merchandise, as any other commodity. 

But usury, in the common acceptation of the term, is 
inconsistent with the character of an honest man. How 
much more, then, with that of a Christian ! Indeed, so 
injurious is this practice to the interests of every well- 
regulated community, that it is prohibited, under severe 
penalties, by the civil law. The legal provisions on this 
subject, we know, are frequently evaded. But those 
who are guilty of such evasion, betray a want of princi- 
ple, and of feeling too, utterly at variance with the pre- 
cepts and the pervading spirit of the gospel. Christianity 
has acquired little influence over him, who can take ad- 
vantage of another's necessities, to extort ten or twenty 
per cent, for a pecuniary accommodation. As surely as 
the Bible is the word of God, a heavy retribution is in 
store for those, whom the trading world familiarly and 
significantly denominate shavers. 

The passage before us may be considered as condemn- 
ing not only usury, but also that excessive avidity of 
gain, in which it has origin. The Christian cannot be a 
covetous or an avaricious man. It is not his supreme de- 
sire to add to his stores. Wealth is not the idol before 
which he falls down and worships. His heart is not de- 
voted to houses and lands, gold and silver, bonds, 
mortgages, and certificates of stock. The riches on which 
his thoughts, and affections, and hopes are fixed, are not 
the fleeting possessions of earth. He lifts his aspiring 
soul to more splendid and substantial treasures in heaven 



SERMON III. 71 

— treasures which no possible contingency can wrest from 
those who once obtain them. 

But while we say this, we would not wish to convey 
to any hearer, the impression, that the Christian must be 
destitute of a prudent regard to the things of this world. 
Religion, instead of inculcating the neglect of our tem- 
poral avocations, enforces a due degree of attention to 
them. He who provides not for his own household, ac- 
cording to Paul, has denied the faith, and is worse than 
an infidel. It is the indispensable duty of every man, not 
already possessed of a competency, to pursue some honest 
calling for the support of himself and his family. The 
rigid rule of the gospel is, that the individual who refuses 
to work, is not entitled to eat. The Christian is fully 
aware, that so long as he is clothed with a material body, 
he must attend to its necessities. These he has no more 
right to neglect, than to terminate the cause which pro- 
duces them by an act of suicide. He accordingly so dis- 
tributes the several portions of his time, as to realize the 
position of Solomon, that there is a season for every thing. 
He has his periods for devotion, and his periods for busi- 
ness. Nor does he allow the one to encroach upon the 
other. The speaker who now addresses you, would not 
raise his feeble voice in behalf of the religion of the New 
Testament, did he not look upon it as a system eminently 
adapted to encourage the formation and the growth of 
those industrious habits and frugal virtues, which consti- 
tute honourable and useful members of society. 

The Psalmist adds, in conclusion, "He that doeth 
these things shall never be moved." Such is the inesti- 
mable and glorious privilege of Zion's citizen. The man 
whose conduct in life is distinguished by those evidences 
of piety which are here enumerated, shall not be affected 
by the vicissitudes of present or of future time. His con- 



72 SERMON III. 

tinuance in the path of rectitude — in the way that con- 
ducts^to glory and honour and immortality — is as certain 
as the High and Holy One is true. He belongs to the 
number of those concerning whom the Redeemer has ut- 
tered this gracious saying; " They shall never perish, 
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." He 
may rely securely upon the promise of that God who 
changes not, and who loves the pious with an everlasting 
love — an affection from the benignant regards of which 
neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor 
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, 
nor depth; nor any other creature shall be able to separate 
them. Firm and abiding foundation of the good man's 
peace and happiness! His present tranquillity and future 
bliss rest upon a basis which shall stand unimpaired by 
every coming desolation. 

Brethren, the Psalm to which your attention has now 
been directed, exhibits, as we have said, several import- 
ant tests, by which you may individually examine your- 
selves, and ascertain what is your character, and what 
your prospects as moral and religious beings. We would 
impress it upon you, that an unfeigned and ardent love to 
God, displayed in a life of strict and cheerful compliance 
with his will, is the touch- stone of piety. Let us, then, 
tell you, that it is vain to make a profession of faith — to 
assume the mantle of religion — so long as you are devoid 
of those evidences of real Christianity, which the Scrip- 
tures generally, and the passage under review in particu- 
lar, assign. Believe us, if you lack even one of these 
evidences, you shall not abide in the tabernacle, nor dwell 
in the holy hill of the Lord ; or, in other words, you will 
never reach heaven. The sincere, consistent follower of 
the Saviour, is one who walketh uprightly, worketh righ- 
teousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart — who back- 



SERMON IV. 73 

bitetli not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, 
nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour — in whose 
eyes a vile person is contemned, but he honoureth them 
that fear the Lord — who sweareth to his own hurt, and 
changeth not — who putteth not out his money to usury, 
nor taketh reward against the innocent. Such is the 
man who shall never be moved. Not the trials of time — 
not the revolutions of eternity — shall do him harm. His 
is a bright and blissful career, to which there shall be no 
termination. He shall advance, with steady and rapid 
progress, in knowledge, virtue and happiness, while God 

himself exists May this, dear hearers, be the glorious 

destiny of us all, through Jesus Christ our Lord ! 



SERMON IV. 



JOHN XV. 5. (Last Clause.) 

" Without me ye can do nothing." 

To discern the full force and import of these words, we 
must contemplate them in connexion with the context. 
Our Lord here represents the relation subsisting between 
himself and his followers, under the figure of the vine 
and its branches. Such a metaphor was highly signifi- 
cant to the inhabitants of a country, in which the culture 
of the vine was one of the most important species of hus- 
bandry. It is probable, too, that the figure was suggested 
to the Saviour, at the moment, by some appropriate cir- 
cumstance. We know that he and his disciples had just 



74 SERMON IV. 

been partaking of the fruit of the vine, at the feast of the 
Passover ; and if we suppose, with some commentators, 
that the discourse recorded in the fifteenth, sixteenth, and 
seventeenth chapters, was delivered while they were still 
at the table, we may readily trace the association of 
thought, by which Jesus, as he looked at the cup before 
him, and its contents, was led to commence his remarks 
by the allusion that we have mentioned. And so, if we 
imagine with other expositors, that this address fell from 
the lips of Christ, as he and his companions were pro- 
ceeding from tiie scene of the paschal supper to the gar- 
den of Gethsemane, we shall have no difficulty in per- 
ceiving that the impression of the cup, scarcely faded 
from his mind, would be revived by the view of the first 
vineyard on his way. In either case, then, it was per- 
fectly natural for him to exclaim to his disciples, "I am 
the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every 
branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away; and 
every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may 
bring forth more fruit. Now, ye are clean through the 
word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and 
I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, ex- 
cept it abide in the vine ; no more can ye, except ye abide 
in me." Our Lord then goes on, in the fifth verse, to re- 
peat the same general truth : "lam the vine, ye are the 
branches ; he that abideth in me, and 1 in him, the same 
bringeth forth much fruit;" adding, in the words of our 
text, " for without me," or more literally, apart from me, 
" ye can do nothing." 

We observe, then, that the particular passage on which 
we design to expatiate this morning, is a prosecution of 
the same train of thought, and, in some measure, a con- 
tinuation of the same figurative phraseology, which had 
preceded it. The branch that is severed from the vine, 



SERMON IV. 75 

cannot be expected to yield fruit. In like manner, the 
individual who is separate from Christ — not united to 
him in the bonds of a covenant ordered in all things and 
sure, — is unable to render any services acceptable to God, 
and permanently profitable to himself. 

This truth, however preposterous it may appear to the 
philosopher, and however reluctant the moralizing Chris- 
tian may be to admit it, is one which the New Testa- 
ment clearly and repeatedly inculcates. The inspired 
penmen describe the work of redemption, in all its stages, 
as entirely the effect of divine power, accomplishing the 
ends of divine love and mercy. The Lord Jesus is re- 
presented by them as the Author and the Finisher of hu- 
man salvation. To him exclusively belong the praise 
and glory of our deliverance from sin and misery. Every 
pulsation of spiritual joy felt by the saints on earth, and 
by the redeemed in heaven, is due to Him who ransomed 
them from the guilt, and cleansed them from the pollution 
of their transgressions. Yes, it is grace which lays the 
foundation of holiness in the heart of fallen man, and 
when the moral edifice is completed, the head-stone is 
brought forth, with acclamations of Grace! grace unto it ! 

When it is said, that without Christ we can do nothing, 
the meaning plainly is, that without him we can do no- 
thing towards the accomplishment of the great work of 
our salvation. There is, indeed, a sense in which the 
text would be unrestrictedly true. When we consider 
the Saviour as a divine being, and thus identify him with 
that God who is the creator and preserver of us all, 
there is no impropriety in saying, that without him we 
can do literally nothing. Every act that we perform, 
whether physical or mental, is, so to speak, the exercise 
of his delegated power — the putting forth of an energy 
which we have derived from him. In short, it is He who 



76 SERMON IV* 

enables us to speak and move, to think and feel. But 
this is not exactly the truth which our Lord intended to 
assert in the passage before us. He here refers to himself, 
in his mediatorial character and office. The precise im- 
port of his declaration is, that without him we can do no- 
thing that will avail to procure the pardon of sin, and 
confer a title to life, happiness, and heaven. It is certain, 
indeed, that without him — independently of his aid as 
our Redeemer, — we may do many things which our 
fellow men will approve and admire; we may be upright, 
discreet, temperate, and benevolent individuals; good 
members of society, dutiful children, and affectionate pa- 
rents. But it is nevertheles true, that without him, apart 
from his gracious influences, we are utterly incapable of 
a single action, or a single thought, on which the high 
and holy One that inhabiteth eternity, can bestow an ap- 
proving smile, such as shall stand us in stead when we 
appear at his bar. So long as we are destitute of an in- 
terest in Christ, we are like branches cut off from the 
vine, whose inevitable doom it is to wither and die. If 
we duly reflect upon our present fallen condition, we shall 
discover, that two things are mainly requisite to our sal- 
vation. In the first place, we must obtain the pardon of 
our past offences ; and in the second place, the native de- 
pravity of our hearts must be so far corrected, that, in 
future, we shall delight in the service of our Maker, and 
become ultimately fitted for his presence. Now, the truth 
of our text will be amply illustrated and established, pro- 
vided it can be shown, that these great and important 
blessings are to be procured only through the medium of 
the Lord Jesus Christ; or, in other words, that the gos- 
pel of his grace reveals the only method by which sin 
may be pardoned, and the sinner rendered personally 



SERMON IV. 77 

holy. — Let us advert, for a moment, to these two par- 
ticulars. 

We contend, then, that without Christ we can do no- 
thing, because he is the only Being in the universe, who 
is at once able and willing to forgive our transgressions. 
As soon as we admit that we have broken the divine law, 
(and who will pretend to deny this?) we must be sen- 
sible that it is no longer in our own power to remove the 
guilt which we have thus contracted. There can surely 
be no merit in our present or future obedience, to atone 
for antecedent disobedience. The demands of Heaven's 
justice, cannot be more than fulfilled by the utmost efforts 
that we are capable of making. The highest and purest 
seraph before the throne of God, feels that he is unable 
to rise above his obligations. After he has done all that 
his talents and circumstances will permit, he confesses 
that he is an unprofitable servant. It is manifest, there- 
fore, that our own righteousness, however exalted, is a 
very inadequate ground on which to rely for salvation. 
Now, if our moral virtues cannot procure for us the re- 
mission of our sins, we may be assured, that nothing else 
which we can present to Jehovah, will satisfy his justice, 
and render it possible for him, in perfect consistence with 
the honour and the interests of his throne, to blot out our 
crimes and misdemeanours from the book of his remem- 
brance. 

But, brethren, this consideration need not drive us to 
despair. There is a way by which we can obtain par- 
don — most abundant pardon — at the hands of our offend- 
ed Father who is in heaven. Yes, blessed be the name of 
our God, lie has given his own Son to die that we might 
live. The Lord Jesus Christ has been exalted to the 
right hand of the Majesty on high, to be a Prince and a 
Saviour, to give repentance to Israel, and the remission 

8 



78 SERMON IV. 

of sins. He is able to save to the uttermost all who put 
their confidence in him; and those who approach him, he 
will, in no wise, repulse. Seated on his throne of grace, 
he proffers pardon, free and full, to the very chief of sin- 
ners. The accents that fall from his lips, are rich with 
benignity and mercy; "Come now, and let us reason 
together; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as 
white as snow, though they be red like crimson, they 
shall be as wool." 

Again, without Christ we can do nothing, because the 
influences of his spirit are absolutely necessary to change 
our depraved hearts, and to qualify us for the services of 
earth, and the enjoyments of heaven. He has taught us, 
that we must be born again, before we can become fit sub- 
jects of that kingdom of righteousness, of which he is the 
Founder and the Sovereign. We know, indeed, that 
some persons — perhaps we should say many persons — 
are disposed to regard the evangelical doctrine of a new 
birth as one of the reveries of mystical and enthusiastic 
devotion. But we are at a loss to comprehend, why any 
one who properly reflects on the corruption of human na- 
ture, should doubt the necessity of that great moral 
change, whatever it may be, on which the New Testa- 
ment insists. We conceive, that every sound and in- 
genuous philosopher, who duly examines the subject, will 
find himself constrained to unite with the Christian in the 
speculative opinion, that nothing short of the direct inter- 
position of the same almighty power which created the 
mind of man at first, can so alter and modify the springs 
by which its operations are governed, as to impart purity 
and rectitude to all its thoughts and feelings. It is not 
within the competency of moral suasion to correct the de- 
pravity of a being, concerning whom it has been said, as 
justly as emphatically, that he " drinketh iniquity like 



SERMON IV. 79 

water/' In the view of all the means which ethical 
writers and teachers have employed for the inculcatiou of 
virtue, we only perceive (he soundness of the prophet's 
query, " Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leo- 
pard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are ac- 
customed to do evil." 

Brethren, we do not scruple to say, that the distinguish- 
ing excellence of the Gospel consists in the provision 
which it makes, for delivering us from the power and 
dominion, as well as from the penal consequences of sin. 
It promises to render us ultimately happy; but it propo- 
ses to do this, only by rendering us previously holy. In 
fact, it represents the renewing of our minds, and the 
sanctification of our hearts, as the very chief of the bless- 
ings which the Son of God died to procure for us ; or, 
rather, as including all the rest. There is not, in the 
whole Bible, a more precious passage, than that in which 
Jehovah is heard exclaiming, " Then will I sprinkle 
clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean : from all 
your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you. 
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I 
put within you : and 1 will take away the stony heart 
out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. 
And I will cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall 
keep my judgments and do them. 7 ' 

And here it should be distinctly observed, that the 
grace of God is requisite, not only to change the heart at 
first, but also to promote its progress in holiness. With- 
out Christ, we should have remained forever dead in 
trespasses and sins, and even after we have been quick- 
ened by the energy of his life-giving Spirit, we should, 
were it not for him, sink back again into that condition of 
moral lethargy and death, from which we were raised. 
There is not a single moment of the Christian's existence, 



80 SERMON IV. 

in which he is not indebted to his divine Lord, for all the 
spiritual vigour that he exercises, and for all the spiritual 
comfort that he enjoys. The more elevated his attain- 
ments in piety, the lowlier will he lie before the throne 
of heaven's Majesty, and with deeper sincerity will he ut- 
ter the humble acknowledgment, " By the grace of God, 
I am what I am." He arrogates no merit to himself. All 
his honours he lays down at the foot of his ImmanuePs 
cross. He is fully aware, that he has nothing which he 
did not receive from above. He knows, that his heart, 
instead of being a fountain, from which original streams 
of moral purity flow, is rather a reservoir, out of which no 
good current can ever issue, but such as arises from a far 
higher and a heavenly source. 

The truth, dear hearers, on which we are now insist- 
ing, is one that lies at the very foundation of practical 
piety. There can be no genuine religion, which does not 
rest on a conviction of our own native weakness and 
helplessness — our utter incompetency, except so far as 
we are aided by Christ, to perform acts and render ser- 
vices acceptable to God. We enter into no scholastic 
discussion as to the nature of human inability. We 
shall not, at present, put on the professor's gown, and 
proceed to inquire, whether such inability should be 
called natural, or moral. But we take upon us to say — 
and reason, experience and the divine word will amply 
sustain the position, — that the incipient step, the first 
movement of the sinner, in the process of his conversion 
from the error of his ways to the wisdom of the just, is a 
firm and devout persuasion, that without Christ he can do 
nothing. 

To the doctrine which asserts the sovereignty of divine 
grace in the entire matter of our salvation, it has been 
objected, that this doctrine is calculated to destroy the 



SERMON IV. 81 

moral agency of man, to paralyze all human effort, and 
to encourage licentiousness of heart and life. This is, 
indeed, a serious arraignment of the truth for which we 
contend, and it were not proper to let such charges pass 
without some notice. 

We do not propose this morning to enter very deeply 
into the much litigated question of moral agency, or, as it 
is sometimes called, the freedom of the will — a question 
concerning which there has heen more nonsense spoken 
and written, than even the celebrated controversy between 
the Nominalists and the Realists of the dark ages, was 
the occasion of producing. Some metaphysicians have 
strangely imagined, that while matter is entirely subject 
to the control of Deity, tiiere is something in mind, that is 
completely independent of his influence; or, at any rate, 
if this be not their meaning, and if such be not the posi- 
tion which they are anxious to establish, they have cer- 
tainly speculated to very little purpose respecting human 
liberty. Now, we are persuaded, that matter and mind 
are alike subject to the dominion of the great Creator — 
that all the phenomena of the one and of the other are 
modified and regulated by the good pleasure of that Being 
who presides over the destinies of the universe. By this 
language we do not mean to say, that God controls matter 
and mind in precisely the same manner. The former he 
governs by physical laws, and the latter by moral. He 
sways the conduct and the hearts of men, not by absolute 
and positive coercion, but through the instrumentality of 
motives. These are the means by which Jehovah effec- 
tuates his own purposes in all our voluntary actions. It 
is in this way that he exercises his sovereignty, without 
at all impairing our accountability. We admit, that there 
is some difficulty connected with this as with every other 
subject, and every other thing, that we attempt to explain. 



g2 SERMON IT. 

Let us be contented with a knowledge of the fact, that the 
influence of the Deity on our minds does not abridge, in 
the least, our freedom of volition and of action. Of this 
there can be no doubt. The renewed individual is just 
as conscious, that he is a free-agent, as the man who loves 
sin, and lives in the habitual practice of it. The opera- 
tion of the divine Spirit on the souls of believers, so far 
from being inimical to their liberty, has the specific effect 
of rendering them willing in the day of God's almighty 
power. The change which they experience is not the 
subversion, but only the alteration of their will. Their 
desires are not exterminated, but merely diverted from an 
old into a new channel. And this important revolution 
is effected, as we have said, through the agency of 
motives. 

Nor is there any real force in the objection so often and 
so strenuously urged by superficial thinkers, that the doc- 
trine which asserts the sovereignty of divine grace has a 
tendency to discourage and counteract human exertion. 
In fact, the doctrine has precisely the opposite tendency. 
It is calculated, when rightly understood, to incite us to 
diligent and zealous efforts for the advancement of our 
spiritual and eternal interests. The practical receiver of 
it will be, of all men, least likely to become slothful in 
the business of religion. He will regard the promise of 
heaveuly aid implied in the doctrine in question, as the 
most cogent reason why he should sedulously task all his 
energy in the service of his Maker. The point to which 
we are now directing your attention, will be seen in a 
clearer and more satisfactory light, if you bear in mind 
what has been already observed with regard to the in- 
strumentality of motives in the moral government of God. 
We have distinctly stated, that it is through the medium 
of these that the Deity operates upon the human mind. 



SERMON IV. 83 

Accordingly, the revelation with which he has been pleas- 
ed to favour us, must be viewed as a system of motives 
designed to influence our conduct, and form our charac- 
ter, as religious beings. Hence every doctrine of this re- 
velation is to be contemplated as a motive fitted to produce 
its appropriate moral effect. Let it, then, be understood, 
that the necessity of the Spirit's influences is revealed, in 
the sacred Scriptures, for uo other purpose, than to stimu- 
late us to an active and unremitting discharge of our re- 
ligious duties. It is exhibited as a motive, not to repress, 
but to call forth human exertion. Thus the command to 
us, to " work out our own salvation with fear and tremb- 
ling," is enforced expressly and formally by this consid- 
eration, that "it is God who worketh in us both to will and 
to do of his good pleasure." Had we no ground to expect 
divine assistance in the matter of our salvation, we might 
well forbear all effort, and sit down in despair. But 
when we are assured, that such assistance can always be 
obtained, the effect certainly must be very different. 
There is not the smallest danger, then, that the indivi- 
dual who really feels, that without Christ he can do no- 
thing, will abandon or relax his endeavours to perform 
the will, and enjoy the favour of Jehovah. The convic- 
tion of our own weakness can have no other effect, than 
to induce us to seek the strength which we know, that 
divine grace is ever ready to communicate. On the 
other hand, a confident reliance on ourselves, begets a 
false and fatal feeling of security. He who thinketh he 
standeth, is in the greatest danger of falling. To this 
truth David and Peter, were they with us to day, would 
bear ample testimony. 

In the remarks which have now been made, we have, 
in a good degree, anticipated an answer to the objection, 
that the doctrine which asserts the sovereignty of divine 



84 SERMON IV. 

grace, in the entire matter of our salvation, tends to pro- 
mote licentiousness of heart and life. We shall not here 
enter into any speculation on this point. It is properly a 
question of fact, and by facts it ought to be decided. We 
know that the oppugners of our doctrine are not pecu- 
liarly fond of the issue which we now tender to them. 
But why should we take up time with reasoning against 
an objection, which may be fairly disposed of in a far 
more summary way. We affirm, then, that this objec- 
tion is conclusively refuted by facts. And as we cannot 
pretend to enter into much detail, on a topic of this na- 
ture, we would merely remark, in general terms, that the 
practical receivers of the truth for which we contend, 
have been, as all experience shows, the most virtuous and 
pious of men. Look, for instance, at Scotland, where 
the tenets which, for want of any other equally distinctive 
and convenient name, we are compelled to call Calvinistic, 
have long and triumphantly prevailed. No one compe- 
tent to decide, will hesitate to admit, that the inhabitants 
of that country are, to say the least, by no means inferior, 
on the score of private and public morals, to the inhabi- 
tants of any other country in Christendom. The belief, 
that without Christ they could do nothing — a truth 
deeply impressed on their minds by the instructions of 
pious mothers, zealous schoolmasters, and faithful 
preachers, — has certainly done them no harm as indivi- 
dual or social beings. We shall mention only one cir- 
cumstance more. It must be confessed, we presume, on 
all sides, that the only really valuable and useful writers 
on practical religion, are those, who have dwelt with em- 
phasis on the truth, that without Christ we can do no- 
thing. The Henrys, the Edwards, the Doddridges, the 
Newtons, and the Scotts, of the Christiau church, were all 
the champions of this truth. Upon the whole, we mean 



SEKMON IV. 85 

no invidious comparisons, when we say, that if the sys- 
tem in which the sovereignty of divine grace is a promi- 
nent and characteristical tenet, is to he judged from its 
fruits, the friend to virtue and piety must at once em- 
brace it. 

We recur, then, with additional confidence, to the 
doctrine of our text, that without Christ we can do no- 
thing. He is the alpha and the omega of our salvation. 
To him we must be entirely indebted for the pardou of 
our past sins, and also for the disposition, in which con- 
sists the ability, to avoid future sins. It is He who remits 
our offences for his own name's sake ; and it is He who, 
by the power of his Spirit, renews and sanctifies our de- 
praved hearts. The fountain in which alone our moral 
uncleanness can be washed away, flows with his precious 
blood. All the holiness that we can ever possess, is de- 
rived from the fulness of grace that centres in him. 
The Spiritual life that believers enjoy, is, in reality, no- 
thing more than Christ living in them. He sits enthroned 
as a sovereign in the hearts of his people, wielding his 
sceptre over the entire territory of their souls, communi- 
cating to them constant supplies of strength, defending 
them from the assaults of their enemies, and so governing 
their thoughts, their feelings, and their conduct, as to ren- 
der them the willing instruments of advancing at once his 
glory, and their own immortal interests. 

The subject on which we have now been meditating, 
is calculated to comfort, encourage, and animate Chris- 
tians. It teaches them, that all their dependence must 
be upon the grace of Christ, since without him they can 
do nothing. The first lesson in the school of Jesus, is to 
learn that he is our salvation and our all. Brethren, you 
cau never be too deeply convinced of the truth, that in 
yourselves you are weak aud insufficient for the perform- 

9 



86 SERMON IV. 

ance of any good thing. Just in proportion to your con- 
viction of this truth, will be your attainments in vital 
piety. " When I am weak," said one of the holiest of 
men, " then am I strong." The expression may carry 
the air of paradox to those who are strangers to the mys- 
tery of godliness. But every truly devout person under- 
stands its meaning, and feels its force. To him it con- 
tains an element of truth, as evident as any in the axioms 
of mathematics. He can affirm, from lively experience, 
that it is the persuasion of his own weakness, which 
braces all the sinews of his strength. As soon as his soul 
settles in the belief, that without Christ he can do no- 
thing, he has virtually arrived at the conclusion, that 
with Christ he can do every thing. Diffidence in our- 
selves is the essential principle of confidence in the help 
that cometh from on high. 

We exhort you, then, Christian brethren, to apply the 
doctrine of the text to the edification of your souls. Are 
you in prosperity? Learn that you have nothing which 
you did not receive, and ascribe all your happiness to the 
grace of Christ. Are you in adversity? Look up to your 
divine Lord for consolation and relief. He has promised 
that his grace shall be sufficient for you, and that he will 
never leave nor forsake you. Have you reason to trust 
that you are making daily advances in virtue and piety; 
becoming more and more ripe for heaven? Hemember 
that you are indebted, for all your attainments, to the fa- 
vour of Jehovah. Let your reliance on his aid increase, 
and your progress in the knowledge, the love, and the 
fear of your Maker, shall be proportionably accelerated. 
But does your conduct or your heart testify that you have 
grown remiss in the service of Grod, and become compara- 
tively indifferent to the things that belong to your ever- 
lasting peace? Ah! you have been too confident in your 



SERMON IV. 87 

own strength ; you have leaned too much on the arm of 
flesh. Repent, and do your first works. Humble your- 
selves at the footstool of your offended Sovereign, and 
never again forget, as you would hope for salvation, that 
without Christ you can do nothing. In fine, whatever 
may be your circumstances, the language of our text 
speaks to you a word in season. 

Again, the passage before us is not without its use, 
when addressed to those who are still in a state of im- 
penitence and unbelief. That there are such in this as- 
sembly, we may take for granted, and yet not be uncha- 
ritable. Permit us, then, dear hearers, to tell you plainly, 
though affectionately, that you never can be saved, until 
you are brought to know and feel that without Christ you 
can do nothing. This is the very turning point of your 
conversion. Repentance and faith (the grand conditions 
of the gospel) are neither more nor less, than a practical 
conviction of the truth on which we have been expa- 
tiating. The sincere penitent, the devout believer, is simply 
a man who has imbibed the spirit of our present text. 

We pray you, then, sinners, at once to submit to the 
terms of the gospel, and receive Jesus Christ as your 
only and all-sufficient saviour. Awful must be the con- 
sequences of refusing or neglecting to secure an interest 
in him. We shall not attempt to describe the anguish 
and despair that await the finally impenitent. But we 
may ask, in the language of the Bible, "If the righteous 
scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner 
appear?" Once more, dear hearers, we say, Come to 
the Son of God. Without him you can do nothing. He 
only can enable you to escape hell, and enter heaven. 
Accept, without delay, the aid which he proffers. That 
aid may be obtained to-day: to-morrow may be too late 
to seek it. 



SERMON V. 






GENESIS XXXIX. 9. (Last Clause.) 
" How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?'* 

A religious system, to be perfect, must not only con- 
tain a full and correct code of human duties, but must also 
enforce those duties by the most appropriate and urgent 
motives. This perfection is exemplified in Christianity. 
The Bible, besides teaching us how we ought to act in 
all the various circumstances of our being, further pre- 
sents us with sufficient reasons why we should act in the 
particular manner which it points out. And one of the 
most powerful of those considerations which it urges to 
deter us from the commission of crime, is exhibited in the 
passage now before us : " How can I do this great wick- 
edness, and sin against God !" 

These words, as you, no doubt, recollect, are part of the 
language of Joseph to the wife of Potiphar, when she 
sought to entice him to an adulterous act. It may be 
doubted, whether humanity, in the present state, be ca- 
pable of more signal virtue, than was displayed by the 
Hebrew captive on this occasion. Any one who reflects, 
for a moment, on the circumstances of the temptation to 
which he was exposed, must be convinced, that he owed 
the exalted moral triumph which he achieved, to the in- 
fluence of some motive peculiarly strong and impressive. 
What this motive was, is learned from our text. He 
considered, that he could not yield to the illicit desires of 
the Egyptian female, without doing a great wickedness 



SERMON V. 89 

and sinning against God. Such was the solemn thought 
that subdued his passions, and nerved his soul for a vic- 
tory with which no other that historians have recorded, or 
poets sung, is worthy to be compared. 

One important reflection suggested by this passage, 
is, that all sin is an evil committed against God. 

All sin is an evil committed against Grod. By this lan- 
guage we mean, that it is a violation of his will — a de- 
parture from the course which he requires us to pursue. 
We would not deny, that some sins are more directly 
offences against the Supreme Being, than others. There 
is undoubtedly ground for the common distinction of our 
duties into those which we owe to our Creator, and those 
which we owe to our fellow men and ourselves. It was 
on the principle of such a distinction, that the moral law 
was anciently divided by Him who enacted it, into two 
tables. Now, if there are two classes of duties, there 
must be two classes of sins corresponding to the viola- 
lations of these duties. Thus, to blaspheme the divine 
name, or omit the divine worship, is an offence against 
God ; while to covet the possessions, or take away the 
lives of others, is an offence against our fellow men. 
Still, however, there is a sense in which every sin may 
be considered as an offence against the Deity. The crime 
to which Joseph referred, when he spoke the language of 
the text, was adultery — a crime, the prohibition of which 
occurs in the second table of the decalogue. Aud yet he 
was persuaded, that he could not commit this crime with- 
out sinning against God ; and justly, since he knew, that 
the seventh commandment, no less than the first or the 
third, had its origin in the authority, and was an expres- 
sion of the will, of his Maker. 

Some eminent doctors in ethics teach, that utility is the 
foundation of virtue, and, of consequence, that when we 



90 SERMON V. 

do wrong we injure both ourselves and others. Some 
again say, that virtue is a general term for denoting such 
actions as we contemplate with a peculiar feeling of vivid 
approbation, and, consequently, that when we do wrong 
we become the victims of self-reproach, and forfeit the 
good opinion of all who witness our error. Now, it is 
most true, that the sinner's doings are detrimental to him- 
self and to others, and also that he acts counter to the 
dictates of his own conscience, and incurs the disesteem 
of every upright mind. But to behold the full enormity 
of his conduct, we must ascend higher than this. Our 
estimate of his guilt is an inadequate one, unless we take 
into the account the relation which he sustains to his 
Maker. We must consider, that he is a creature entirely 
dependent for his existence, and for all his comforts and 
enjoyments, on the sustaining arm of Heaven. We must 
not forget, that the faculties with which he meditates and 
executes evil, were conferred upon him, in order that he 
might employ them in pure and noble pursuits. We 
must recollect, that each unholy purpose, and each unholy 
act, betray the basest ingratitude towards his highest 
Beuefactor. We must remember, that his omissions of 
duty are an infraction of his Creator's will, as indicated 
by the very structure of his moral constitution. In a 
word, we must look upon him as a rebel against the di- 
vine government, whose conduct in itself, and as an ex- 
ample of insubordination, tends to disturb the quiet, and 
mar the happiness, of the universe. 

The representation which has now been given relative 
to the evil of sin, we know, does not accord with the or- 
dinary apprehensions, and familiar parlance of men. 
They commonly estimate the demerit of crime by its ten- 
dency to disgrace and injure the individual who commits 
it, or by its baneful effects on society at large. Hence, 



SERMON V. 9 1 

while they denounce, with no measured reprobation, the 
man who breaks his promise, who defrauds his neigh- 
bour, or who circulates a slanderous report, they speak 
with lenity in reference to him who lives in the habitual 
neglect of those devotional duties, which have the Deity 
immediately for their object. They are by no means ac- 
customed to view every deviation from rectitude as an of- 
fence against God. They will descant upon human 
errors precisely as if there were no Being on high who 
created us, and to whom we are answerable for our en- 
tire conduct here below. If, for example, mention is made 
of some one who fell a victim to dissipation, they will put 
on a grave countenance, and moralize in this strain : 
"Poor fellow! he had a good heart; many estimable and 
endearing qualities were his. He never indulged his pas- 
sions to the injury of others. All the harm he did was to 
himself.". ...What ! All the harm he did was to himself? 
We deny that assertion. It is very true, indeed, that he 
destroyed his own body and soul. But "the head and 
front of his offending/' was that he trampled on the laws, 
and bade defiance to the authority, of his Creator. We 
shall, perhaps, best illustrate this point, by taking the 
case of a son who has experienced the most affecting to- 
kens of parental regard, and notwithstanding, slights the 
counsels, and disobeys the positive injunctions of his fa- 
ther, and gives himself up to the unrestrained pursuit of 
criminal enjoyments. Will it be contended, that such a 
son does injury to none besides himself? Who will 
deny, that he likewise does a serious injury to the father 
who sustained him, and who laboured with the utmost 
solicitude to render him an honourable and useful mem- 
ber of society? O ! with what bitter — what untold — 
pangs, must his thankless and rebellious conduct pierce 
the bosom that never felt tor hini any emotions but those 



92 SERMON V. 

of pure, ardent, self-denying love ! Now, similar in na- 
ture, though incalculably worse in degree, is the injury 
which every sinner does to God — that kind and indulgent 
Father to whom we are all indebted for our being, and 
whose sincerest wish and constant effort, if we may so 
speak, it has ever been to render us good and happy. 

When we look into the sacred Scriptures, we observe, 
that the representations which they uniformly give of sin, 
convey the idea, that its demerit consists essentially in 
the circumstance of its being an evil committed against 
God. The passages to which we might appeal in sup- 
port of this position, are too numerous to admit of quota- 
tion. We may, however, just advert to one or two of 
them. First, then, the text on which we are now com- 
menting, is directly in point. No language could be 
more explicit than that of Joseph, when, in relation to 
adultery — a crime which men in general seem to regard 
as a transgression of human laws, rather than of the di- 
vine law, — he exclaimed, "How can I do this great 
wickedness, and sin against God!" Again, call to mind 
the terms in which the apostle reproved Ananias for 
uttering a falsehood — a crime which we all, indeed, agree 
in reprobating, but few of us, it is to be feared, on the 
ground of its ofifensiveness to our Maker. Said Peter, 
"Why hast thou conceived this thing in thy heart? thou 
hast not lied unto men, but unto God." Mark, too, the 
phraseology of David, when mourning over that infamous 
deed, by which he jeoparded his own soul, and gave oc- 
casion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. Humbled 
to the very dust, before the throne of his heavenly Fa- 
ther, he exclaimed, "Against thee, thee only have 1 
sinned, and done this evil in thy sight." This, brethren, 
was the poignant lamentation of genuine penitence, be- 
cause it evidently resulted from proper views of the na- 



SERMON V. 93 

ture and malignity of sin. And so you will find, on a 
careful review of the inspired record, that no repentance 
is accounted effectual, unless it has its origin in a deep 
and an overwhelming conviction, that all moral evil is the 
transgression of a divine law, and in this respect, an in- 
jury done to God. A man may regret his wanderings 
from rectitude, because he has thereby brought infamy or 
poverty upon himself. But the sorrow which he feels 
under such circumstances, is good for nothing. He has 
not seen his mal-conduct in its true light, until he con- 
trasts it with his obligations to that God in whom he 
lives, and moves, and has his being. He cannot realize 
the full amount of his guilt, he cannot see how awfully 
culpable he has been, without reflecting that the good- 
ness of Heaven has been abused, and its majesty defied. 
In short, the sentiment of evangelical contrition has re- 
spect to the vile nature of sin, quite as much as to its 
ruinous consequences. 

Brethren, we would have you, then, to know that, ac- 
cording to the doctrine which we have now deduced from 
the text before us, every misdemeauour of which you can 
possibly be guilty, is an offence against Jehovah. Yes, 
it is his law that you infringe, and his majesty that you 
insult, and his just displeasure that you incur, whenever 
you deviate, in any particular, from a virtuous course. 
To blaspheme his name, or to neglect his worship, is not 
a more real, though it may be a more direct, sin against 
him, than to invade the property, or to assail the reputa- 
tion, of your neighbour. O! remember, that God can 
look with indifference upon no part of your deportment — 
upon no incident of your lives. The code of duties which 
he has enacted for the government of intelligent beings, 
extends to every thought, and every feeling, and every 
purpose, and every act. Hence it is, that remorse arises 

10 



94 SERMON V. 

when any species of wrong has been done. Hence it is 
that conscience speaks in remonstrance against all evil 
meditated, and in indignation against all evil accomplish- 
ed. Ay, sinner, that internal monitor who presides over 
your moral conduct, is the Divinity himself promulging 
and enforcing the precepts of his own law. As often, 
therefore, as you despise the authority, and turn a deaf 
ear to the counsels of this celestial monitor, you virtually 
sin against the Most High. Believe us, there is no es- 
caping from this fearful conclusion. The voice of con- 
science is the voice of God. 

We now proceed to remark, as another highly im- 
portant reflection suggested by our present text, that it is 
this view of sin, as an evil committed against God, which 
must ever operate as the most cogent motive to deter us 
from that which is wrong, and impel us to that which is 
right. There are various considerations which may 
exert an influence in restraining vice and promoting vir- 
tue. An individual may be temperate, because he knows 
that the opposite course would impair his health, and 
shorten his days. He may be honest, because he is sen- 
sible that without a reputation for integrity, he would not 
enjoy the confidence of his fellow-men, and so would not 
have it in his power to prosecute his secular business to 
the best advantage. He may be kind and generous, be- 
cause his feelings are naturally tender, and he would 
suffer real pain from beholding misery, without attempt- 
ing to mitigate it — from hearing that there was want, 
without making an effort to relieve it. But these, and 
similar motives to temperance, honesty, and benevolence, 
though fit and commendable enough in themselves, and 
by no means inconsistent with religion, are not commen- 
surate with the nature and extent of human duty. A man 
who understands his true obligations as a dependent and 



SERMON V. 95 

an accountable being, will be temperate because he knows 
that intemperance is a sin against God. He will be ho- 
nest, because he is sensible that fraud, in all its forms, is 
a sin against God. He will be benevolent, because he is 
aware, that to neglect the miserable and needy is a sin 
against God. In fine, he will be virtuous, because he is 
convinced that vice of every kind is offensive to the di- 
vine rectitude and purity. 

It will be seen, then, that while we would not question 
the propriety nor weaken the force of other motives to 
virtue, we maintain that there is none so proper, and none 
so effectual, as that presented in our text. Such is the 
position for which we contend. And one or two remarks 
will serve to evince its correctness. 

We have said, that there is no motive to virtue so pro- 
per, so intrinsically fitting, as that presented by the 
thought, that all sin is an evil committed against God. 
If our first position be granted, there can hardly be any 
diversity of sentiment on this point. When the fact is 
conceded, that every moral error, besides its pernicious 
consequences to the individual who commits it, and to 
society in general, is the contravention of a divine law, it 
must also be admitted, that we ought to be deterred from 
what is wrong, not so much by the apprehension of its 
injurious effects upon ourselves and the community, as by 
the consideration of its opposition to the will of Heaven. 
In other words, the fear of offending God, and the desire 
of securing his approbation, rather than the dread of tem- 
poral disadvantages, and the prospect of temporal re- 
wards, should, in strict propriety, be our reason for doing 
what is right. 

Again, there is no motive to virtue so really effectual, 
with one who feels its force, as that presented in the text 
before us. The individual who habituates himself to 



96 SERMON V. 

view all sin as an evil committed against God, throws 
around his moral character the strongest panoply that 
can be conceived or desired. He knows that if he does 
wrong, he incurs the heavy indignation of One who is 
able to destroy both soul and body in hell. He feels that 
if he does right, he secures the approving smile of One 
whose favour is life, and whose loving kindness is better 
than life. O ! how powerless and inefficient, as well as 
how unworthy, compared with views and feelings like 
these, must be a mere dread of the world's frowns, and a 
mere desire of the world's applause ! May we not say, 
that the motive arising from the one source, exceeds that 
which flows from the other, in the same ratio that eternity 
outmeasures time? 

And here let us distinctly note one fact, that imparts 
peculiar importance and efficacy to the motive on which 
we are now insisting. This motive, it will be observed, 
operates with as much force as ever, under circumstances 
calculated to render other motives feeble, if not entirely 
impotent. There are sins which may be kept concealed 
from the world ; some, the knowledge of which may ex- 
tend only to one or two persons besides the individual 
who commits them ; and some, of which every being in 
the universe, except the guilty agent himself and his om- 
niscient Maker, may be ignorant. Now, what motive, we 
should like to know, will deter from sius of this description, 
where the fear of God is wanting ? Tell us, how is man 
to avoid the commission of secret errors, if he does not 
reflect, that, although no mortal eye may be upon him, 
he is yet amenable to a Deity who follows him to his 
closet, and with whom the darkness and the light are 
both alike? Look at the case of Joseph. Is it not per- 
fectly apparent, that, had he been regardless of the di- 
vine authority and laws, he must have fallen a victim to 



SERMON V. 97 

the peculiar temptation by which his virtue was assailed? 
Are we not entitled to affirm, that no other consideration 
than that which forced itself with sue!) irresistible awe 
and energy upon his mind, when he gave utterance to the 
words of our text, could have availed him in the trying 
circumstances in which he was placed? He might have 
yielded to the solicitations of Potiphar's criminal consort, 
without subjecting himself to any immediate consequences 
of an injurious nature; and, although it rarely happens, 
that such a sin, however it may be hid for a time, escapes 
ultimate exposure and punishment even in this world, yet 
the apprehension of remote possible or probable disad- 
vantages, must have exerted little influence on an inex- 
perienced youth, in a situation like that in which he found 
himself. 

There is, then, no proper and effectual substitute for 
that motive to virtue, which grows out of a sense of our 
obligations to God. We will go farther, and say, that 
this one motive is so appropriate and powerful, that it 
does not need to be aided by any other. The most 
plausible auxiliary that human ingenuity has devised, is, 
perhaps, to be found in the practice of auricular confes- 
sion, which forms so prominent a feature in the ecclesias- 
tical regulations of a large Christian community. We 
have sometimes heard this practice commended by serious 
persons not belonging to the particular sect who adopt it, 
as an institution calculated to deter from sin, and in this 
way to do much good to society. But, while we would not 
deny, that benefit may, in some instances, have resulted 
from auricular confession, we are constrained to believe, 
that it has more frequently proved the means of en- 
couraging, than of restraining evil. For one individual 
who has said, " I will not commit this offence, because if 
I do, I shall have to disclose it to the priest/' we pre- 



98 SERMON V. 

sume, that ten have said, " Why should we refrain from 
this gratification, when we have only to acknowledge our 
error to the priest, and obtain absolution ?" Can it be 
imagined, for a moment, that if Joseph had been regard- 
less of the divine authority and laws, he would have been 
deterred from the commission of sin, by the consideration, 
that he would be under the necessity, either of neglecting 
a religious rite, or else revealing his crime to one whose 
official situation bound him to inviolable secrecy ? And 
feeling, as he did, that to commit adultery would be doing 
a great wickedness and sinning against God, he surely 
needed no additional reason for resisting the temptation 
to which he was exposed. 

It is not necessary, however, to enlarge on this subject. 
Every candid and serious thinker must be convinced of 
the intrinsic propriety, and the superior efficacy of that 
motive to virtue, which religion furnishes, and which the 
text exhibits as swaying the conduct of a good man when 
powerfully tempted to do wrong. And, brethren, how 
unutterable are our obligations to the Bible for revealing 
such a motive ! The doctrine of infidel morality, as taught 
by Hume, the most distinguished, and certainly the ablest 
of its professors, is, that adultery, provided it can be con- 
cealed, is nothing, and even if discovered, is only a trivial 
matter. But not so speaks Christianity. Not so thought 
Joseph, when, in the true spirit of Christianity, he ex- 
claimed, " How can I do this great wickedness, and sin 
against God ?" 

Brethren, we may learn from our present subject, the 
importance of contemplating sin as an evil committed 
against God. This is the view of sin which the Scrip- 
tures present. It is the view of sin which arises from the 
deductions of reason. It is the view of sin which is some- 
times impressed on the mind by the still small voice of 



SERMON V. 99 

conscience. Let us, then, accustom ourselves to look upon 
transgression in this light. If we would lead a pure and 
an upright life — if we would avoid those moral errors 
which cannot fail, sooner or later, to overwhelm us with 
ignominy and wo — if we would enjoy peace here, and 
bliss hereafter — we shall best attain our object by pursu- 
ing the course now recommended ; or, rather, we shall 
attain our object in no other way. The only motive on 
which we can safely rely, for the preservation of our vir- 
tue in seasons of emergency and peril, results from the 
thought, that, if we deviate a single inch from the path of 
rectitude, we do a great wickedness, and sin against God. 
This motive, dear hearers, is a buckler with which you 
may encounter fearlessly and securely every temptation 
incident to your present state. The sharpest arrows that 
strike it, will fall blunted at your feet. Christian, thank 
your heavenly Father for such a weapon of defence. 
And O! remember, that it must be your own fault, and 
your own eternal disgrace and ruin, if, with this imple- 
ment of moral warfare at your command, you should not 
come off, at last, a conqueror — aye, and more than a con- 
queror. 

Our present subject furnishes a test, by which they 
who are anxious to know what is their character, and 
what their prospects as moral and immortal beings, may 
examine themselves. There is no better evidence of piety, 
than a deep feeling of the evil of sin as an injury done to 
the great and benificent Ruler of the universe. Nor is there 
any better evidence of advancement in religion, than the 
growth of this feeling. Look, then, brethren, into your 
hearts, and strive to ascertain how far your conduct is re- 
gulated by a single regard to the divine authority and 
laws : and how far the influence of this motive augments, 
as you become older. Every Christian should often in- 



100 SERMON V. 

terrogate his conscience particularly in relation to this 
latter point. It should be his unceasing effort to discover, 
whether his progress in years is marked by a growing 
conviction of the demerit of sin as an evil committed 
against God. 

We may likewise take occasion from this subject, to 
say a word to impenitent sinners. It has been shown, 
that all moral error, properly viewed, is a sin against 
Jehovah. And O ! that we could cause this solemn truth 
to tell upon the heart and conscience of every one in our 
audience to day, who has hithertolived unimpressed by any 
just sense of his accountability to his Maker ! Yes, dear 
hearers, we would have you to realize, that whenever 
you commit an offence, no matter under what circum- 
stances, you injure not only yourselves, or your fellow 
men, but the High and Holy One that inhabiteth eternity. 
Were you only persuaded of this, you would not — you 
could not — act as you have thus far done. O ! did you 
always consider, that the Deity is a close and vigilant 
observer of your ways — that he is thoroughly conversant 
with your whole moral history — that you are exposed to 
his keen inspection amid the gloom of a starless mid- 
night, as well as in the brightest sunshine — that, besides 
marking all your outward misdeeds, he surveys the 
deepest operations of your minds, and knows full well 
those transgressions of his law, from which you are 
restrained only by a regard to public opinion, or the 
dread of some personal injury — did you seriously be- 
lieve, and duly ponder this unquestionable fact, you 
would inevitably become new beings — a great and glo- 
rious change of character would at once ensue. Let us 
then assure you, that what we have now said, is as true 
as there is truth on earth or in heaven. You are amen- 
able to the Sovereign of the universe for every thing that 



SERMON VI. 101 

you do, or even wish to do. No moral act of your lives, 
no purpose that ever dawned in your souls, has been seen 
with indifference by him. Each act and each purpose 
have been put down in the volume of his remembrance, 
as violations of his pure and righteous law. We caution 
thee, sinner, against merely asking, when pressed by 
some urgent temptation, "What harm will be occasioned 
by doing this thing? Shall I thereby injure either my- 
self or my neighbour?" Remember that the proper 
question to be submitted to thy conscience, in every case, 
is, " Can I do this thing, and yet not disobey any clear 
indication of the divine will? May I venture on this 
course without doing a great wickedness, and sinning 
against God ?" — And O ! may thy Maker grant thee 
grace thus to act, through the merits of Jesus Christ, his 
Son ! Amen. 



SERMON VI. 

1 SAMUEL XXVIII. 16. 

" Then said Samuel, Wherefore, then, dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is 
departed from thee, and is become thine enemy." 

Saul ascended the throne of Israel with fair and flat- 
tering prospects. The Jews had grown weary of the 
theocratical form of government, under which they settled 
in Canaan, and become clamorous for a human sovereign. 
Their demand was at length complied with, and they 
hailed with enthusiasm the son of Kish, who was de- 
signated by lot to the regal office. His personal qualities 

11 



102 SERMON VI. 

were favourable to his popularity in a comparatively 
rude and uncultivated nation, for we are told that he was 
" a choice young man ;" that " there was not among the 
children of Israel a goodlier person than he f* and that 
"from his shoulders and upwards he was higher than 
any of the people." His intellectual endowments, too, 
seem to have been of a highly respectable order. Every 
thing, in short, appeared to promise an honourable and a 
happy reign. But circumstances soon presented a dif- 
ferent aspect. Saul, elated with prosperity, forgot his 
obligations and his accountability to the Most High, and 
hurried into a succession of fatal errors. Of these, the 
first was his assumption of the sacerdotal office, at Gilgal, 
when, impatient at the delay of Samuel, he determined, 
in express contravention of the Mosaic law, to offer sacri- 
fice with his own bands. Another was his disobedience 
to a particular and positive injunction of heaven, respect- 
ing his conduct towards the Amalekites, when he reserv- 
ed a part of the spoil which he had taken from that 
discomfited people. A third, was his unmanly and im- 
politic, not to say iniquitous, treatment of David, which 
led to a train of disastrous events, and wrought ultimately 
his own overthrow, and the exaltation of his rival. One 
calamity prepared the way for another, until the situatiou 
of Saul became truly desperate. The Philistines, the 
ancient and inveterate enemies of Israel, availed them- 
selves of the opportunity afforded by the schism between 
him and David, to invade Judea. The unhappy monarch 
was filled with consternation. The host of the invaders 
was formidable; his own subjects were divided; and he 
trembled for the issue of the impending contest. In his 
distress, he began to lift an imploring eye to heaven, for 
pity and succour. But " the Lord answered him not ; 
neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets." And 



SERMON VI. 103 

what was the expedient to which he then resorted? Miser- 
able man ! he said to his attendants, " Seek me out a 
woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, 
and inquire of her/' Such a step on the part of Saul, 
was lamentable evidence that an awful change had taken 
place in his moral sentiments and feelings. There was 
a time when he regarded with becoming contempt and 
abhorrence, the wretched pretenders to necromancy and 
supernatural powers, who abounded in Palestine as well 
as in other countries. We are informed, that he <• had 
put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards 
out of the land." Had any friend, gifted with the true 
spirit of divination, then assured him that a period was 
coming in which he would himself be induced to consult 
one of the very impostors whom he was so laudably en- 
deavouring to expel from his dominions, what would he 
have thought of the prediction? He would doubtless 
have treated it, as Hazael, the Syrian captain, subse- 
quently treated a well-known prophetic intimation of 
Elisha — " What! is thy servant a dog, that he should 
do this great thing? But Hazael was ignorant of his 
own heart, and so was Saul. 

It often happens, that men in adversity betake them- 
selves to some friend, whose counsels they once found 
judicious, but whom, in their prosperous circumstances, 
they were disposed to neglect. Hence the object for 
which the Jewish king proposed to visit the sorceress, 
whom he instructed his servants to seek out for him. He 
had been accustomed, in the early part of his reign, to 
rely on the advice of Samuel, in all cases of emergency. 
But as he saw his power increase, and felt himself more 
firmly seated on his throne, he began to entertain a higher 
opinion of his own judgment, and was the less inclined to 
confer with an old friend, who sometimes made free to 



104 SERMON VI. 

tell him of his faults. Samuel finally withdrew from 
court, and closed his career in retirement at Hainan. The 
voice of the prophet was now sealed in death. The grave 
had received the mortal remains of him whom all Israel, 
and the monarch himself in his hetter days, looked up 
to as an inspired instructer and counsellor. Saul, in the 
wane of his fortune, as disasters thickened around him, 
and the gulf of ruin seemed to yawn before him, felt the 
absence of his once revered and confidential adviser. 
Fully persuaded that the spirit outlives the decay of the 
body, he did not despair of being able to obtain an inter- 
view with the departed seer. His situation was a dread- 
ful one, and he resolved upon this last and fearful expe- 
riment as the best that the crisis allowed. 

It is far from being our plan, on this occasion, to enter 
into a minute consideration of the remarkable circum- 
stances which attended the nocturnal visit of Saul to the 
witch of Endor. The opportunity, indeed, would be as 
good a one as could be desired, for the display of frivo- 
lous research, and the exercise of a puerile imagination. 
Some of our auditors, too, would probably be quite con- 
tent to spend half an hour in listening to a detail of the 
various hypotheses adopted by biblical expositors in re- 
spect to this subject. But, curious man, we have a higher 
object in view, to-day, than your amusement. We shall 
therefore beg to be excused from any nice disquisitions 
relative to the story of the witch of Endor, and would 
simply observe, that we cannot accord with the opinion 
of those who conceive that the whole transaction was a 
mere juggle, effected by the legerdemain of a wicked fe- 
male, practised in the art of imposing on the weak and 
superstitious; nor again, with the opinion of those who 
imagine that the apparition was Satan, who assumed the 
form of Samuel, in order the better to achieve the ruin 



SERMON VI. 105 

of Saul. We confess that we are simple and old-fashion- 
ed enough to think that the apparition was Samuel him- 
self, raised, not by the magical arts of the woman, but by 
an immediate interposition of divine power wholly un- 
looked for on her part. We suppose, that the sorceress 
contemplated nothing more than to impose on the credu- 
lity of her visitant, and that she was herelf both surprised 
and alarmed at the actual appearance of him, whose spi- 
rit she was affecting to call " from the vasty deep." In 
behalf of this opinion, it may be remarked, that the inci- 
dent is related by the sacred historian as a reality, and 
that to explain the passage in any other way, is to palter 
with the plain and obvious meaning of language. An- 
other argument, and certainly one of considerable force, 
arises from the clearness and truth of the prediction ut- 
tered by the apparition : " The Lord also will deliver 
Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines, and to- 
morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me." Thus 
unambiguously did the voice that spoke, foretell the rout 
of Saul's army, and the death of himself and his sons — 
a prediction which was most fully verified. Now, this 
circumstance, we cannot help thinking, will strike the 
reflecting mind as evidence almost conclusive, in favour 
of the idea that the prophet was personally present, and 
conversed with Saul. It may be added, that this was 
the opinion generally adopted by the ancient Jews. That 
it was held by Josephus, will be seen by any one who 
inspects his account of the transaction. There is, like- 
wise, a passage in the apocryphal book called Eccle- 
siasticus, which may serve to show Avhat were the notions 
on the subject prevalent at the period in which it was 
penned. The writer in reference to Samuel, says, "And 
after his death he prophesied, and showed the king his 
end, and lifted up his voice from the earth in prophecy 
to blot out the wickedness of the people." 



|06 SERMON VI. 

We consider it as certain, then, that Samuel himself 
appeared on this occasion, wrapt in the same well-known 
mantle which he was wont to wear prior to his decease — 
a mantle, the recollection of which could not be very 
grateful to Saul, since it was marked by that ominous 
rent, which portended the removal of the kingdom from 
his own family.. ..To the anxiously inquiring monarch the 
apparition replied in language of which our text is the 
introductory sentence: " Wherefore dost thou ask of 
me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become 
thine enemy ?" 

It has been thought by some, that this language is not 
such as the prophet himself would have held in address- 
ing Saul. They conceive, that, had it been really Samuel 
who spoke, he would not have sought to drive the king 
to final despair, by telling him, that the Lord had de- 
parted from him, and become his enemy; but would 
lather have exhorted him to repent of his sins, and pre- 
pare for his approaching fate. There may be a degree 
of plausibility in this argument. And yet we apprehend, 
that Samuel, under the circumstances of the case, might, 
without impropriety, have uttered the words attributed to 
him in the passage before us. Let it be observed, that he 
appeared on this occasion, not as an ordinary minister of 
God, but as a special messenger from the world of spirits, 
to premonish the inquiring monarch of the doom which 
awaited him. He was not instructed to urge the duty of 
repentance upon Saul. Indeed, he knew, that such an 
exhortation must be unavailing, when addressed to one 
whom Heaven had abandoned to destruction. 

The text, then, may be regarded as one among many 
passages of sacred writ, which teach us, that there may oc- 
cur a crisis even in the earthly career of impeuitent sinners, 
after which their salvation becomes morally impossible. 



SERMON VI. 107 

We know, that there are those who, while they would 
not absolutely deny this truth, are extremely reluctant to 
yield to it their assent, and think that it should be rarely 
— never indeed — insisted on from the pulpit. But when 
we observe how distinctly and prominently the doctrine 
in question is exhibited in the Bible, and when we 
further reflect, that it is peculiarly fitted to arrest and 
alarm careless transgressors, we are persuaded, that the 
preacher who neglects to bring it frequently and em- 
phatically before his hearers, is awfully remiss in his 
duty to the Master whom he serves, and may have to 
answer for the blood of some, whom a different line of 
conduct on his part might have saved from eternal ruin. 

Allow us, then, brethren, to assure you, that the indi- 
vidual who has long persisted in the misimprovement and 
abuse of distinguished advantages, is in an almost hope- 
less state. Such an one has reason to apprehend, that 
the Lord may soon depart from him, and become his 
enemy. The course which he pursues is calculated to 
blunt the religious sensibilities of the soul, and to bring 
on a condition of utter callousness, in which nothing short 
of a miraculous exertion of Almighty power can arrest 
him in his degenerate career, and reclaim him from ever- 
lasting perdition. Such, as we have seen, was the case 
with Saul. Such, too, was the case with Pharaoh, when 
the Lord hardened his heart, or, in other words, aban- 
doned him to the domination of his own depraved nature. 
And such, moreover, was the case with those in respect 
to whom our Redeemer himself declared, that the things 
which belonged to their peace were hidden from their 
eyes. But why do we go back to such instances, when 
it is more than probable, that the experience of some in 
this very assembly will lend its testimony in Corrobora- 
tion of the truth on which we are insisting? We only 



108 SERMON VI. 

ask you, dear hearers, to cast a retrospective glance over 
your past history. Can you not recollect the period, 
when you had far more sensibility on the subject of re- 
ligion, than you now have? — when you listened with a 
livelier interest to the preaching of the gospel, and even 
began to indulge the hope, that its truths were taking a 
salutary hold in your hearts ? Tell us, merchant, was 
there not a time, when you occasionally thought of 
God amid the most pressing concernments of your store 
and counting room ? Is it not so, politician, that you were 
once accustomed to consider, how it would profit you 
nothing to gain the whole world, and lose your own 
soul? Will you deny, aspirant after literary distinction, 
that there were moments of sober reflection, in which you 
felt how insufficient would be the breath of human ap- 
plause to sustain and to cheer you amid the solemnities 
of death, and the realities of eternity? And will you 
hesitate to admit, votary of pleasure, that, in former days 
you scarcely ever returned from a scene of dissipation, 
without thinking, that enjoyments more solid and endu- 
ring than those of which you had just partaken, were ne- 
cessary to sate the high and expanded appetites of the 
ethereal and immortal mind ? But, alas ! thoughts and 
feelings such as these rarely visit your bosom at present. 
Now, this fact, we would have you know, is a fearful in- 
dication, that the Lord is on the point of departing from 
you, and becoming your enemy. It shows, that unless 
a change speedily ensues, you are irretrievably undone — 
that you are fast approaching that dread crisis in your 
moral history, which shall determine your character and 
destiny for ever. Yes, the harvest may soon be past — the 
summer soon ended — and you not saved. Would to 
God, that we were capable of sounding in your ears such 
a note of alarm, as should penetrate the deepest recesses 



SERMON VI. 109 

of your soul, lend the keenest pungency to the goadings 
of conscience, and constrain you to resort, for safety and 
peace, to the strong- hold of the gospel! 

We have represented the text as implying, that there 
may occur a crisis in the earthly career of those who 
have long enjoyed, without improving, the means of grace, 
after which it hecomes morally impossible for them to be 
saved. By this representation we would not circumscribe, 
in any irreverent manner, the power of Jehovah. It 
is only our object to say, that such is the constitution of 
the human mind — such the nature of that moral govern- 
ment which the Deity exercises over it — that the posses- 
sion, for a considerable length of time of distinguished 
religious privileges, by one who is not duly affected and 
benefited by them, contributes to harden his heart, to 
stupify his conscience, and, of course, to render his ulti- 
mate deliverance from sin and misery an extremely uu- 
likely occurrence. It is one of the laws of our being, that 
familiarity with any object, physical or moral, tends to 
lessen the interest with which we contemplate it, and to 
weaken its influence over us. He whose native habita- 
tion is near the cataract of Niagara, looks without emo- 
tion on one of the sublimest of nature's spectacles, simply 
because he has been used to the scene from his boyhood 
days ; and when he lies down to rest at night, the tre- 
mendous roar of the mighty torrent cannot prevent nor 
disturb the slumber of one whose cradle was rocked 
amid its loudest din. And so the man of middle and of 
old age, who has contemplated the truths of Christianity 
and listened to the sound of the gospel, from his earliest 
youth, may become, at last, almost utterly indifferent to 
all that the Bible reveals, and all that the preacher pro- 
claims. We accordingly find, that the faithful minister 
of Jesus who takes up his residence in some of the remote 

12 



HO SERMON VI. 

settlements of our country, where the visits of previous 
ministers had been, like those of angels, " few and far be- 
tween," makes a much deeper and more general impres- 
sion on his hearers, and converts a larger proportion of 
them from the error of their ways to the wisdom of the 
just, than he would have done had it been his lot to be 
called to the pastoral charge of a congregation in one of 
our cities or populous towns. Another evidence of the 
truth to which we are adverting, is found in the circum- 
stance so often remarked, that the truths of the gospel 
arc, for the most part, brought to bear with greater efficacy 
on the young, than on those who have passed the 
meridian of life; and on the latter than on those who 
have reached the evening of their days. 

But some may now ask, How happens it, that famili- 
arity with the means of grace, in the case of those who 
do improve them, produces a result so very different from 
what has just been stated? Is there not here a singular 
exception to the otherwise universal law, that similar ef- 
fects flow from similar causes? We answer, that this 
difficulty admits of a satisfactory solution. The means 
of grace, when allowed to exert their due influence on the 
heart and conscience, sustain to the human being a rela- 
tion, which no other objects in the physical or moral 
world are capable of sustaining. They then become in- 
timately allied, in his view, with all the realities of an 
eternal scene, and are, therefore, invested with an interest 
which time, instead of diminishing, serves only to increase. 
Hence it is, that the truly pious man can always discover 
something new in the Word of Grod — that he repairs every 
Sabbath with fresh delight to the sanctuary of the Most 
High — and that he finds the exercises of private devotion, 
just in proportion as they are repeated, more and more 
essential to his happiness. The principles of religion are 



SERMON VI. HI 

thus deeply and inseparably incorporated with the sys- 
tem of his habits, and consequently "grow with his 
growth and strengthen with his strength." On the con- 
trary, the means of grace, when misiraproved, are viewed 
apart from the eternal realities to which they point the 
eye of faith. Like other physical and moral objects, 
they then affect the mind less forcibly in proportion to its 
familiarity with them. A habit of indifference and ne- 
glect is thus formed, which must, in the nature of things, 
grow more inveterate, the longer it is indulged. And this 
is the very way, as we have already intimated, in which, 
when a man has long enjoyed superior religious advan- 
tages, without improving them, the Lord departs from 
him, and becomes his enemy. The impossibility of his 
salvation arises from the circumstance, that lie has ren- 
dered himself insensible to the only means which it has 
pleased the wisdom and goodness of Heaven to ordain for 
the promotion of his spiritual improvement. To suppose 
that he could be saved independently of these means, 
were as preposterous, as to imagine that animal life could 
be sustained without the instrumentality of food. 

A common objection to the opinion, that a man's "day 
of grace," as some theological writers have rather unhap- 
pily called it, may terminate prior to the article of death, 
is, that this opinion represents God as withdrawing from 
certain individuals, the influences of his Spirit which he 
had formerly vouchsafed to them, and thus consigning 
them to remediless destruction. It will be seen, how- 
ever, that the doctrine which we have deduced from the 
text before us, is not liable to the objection now mention- 
ed, because we have not supposed that they from whom 
the Lord departs and becomes their enemy, really en- 
joyed the gracious operations of his Spirit, and so have 
not presumed that their hopeless state is a consequence 



1X2 SERMON YJ. 

of the withdrawal of such operations, or, indeed, that any 
thing like a positive exercise of divine power is concern- 
ed in the accomplishment of their ruin. As this is a 
point of some importance, it may be proper to explain 
our views more fully. Let it, then, be distinctly under- 
stood, that we wholly reject the idea of there being any 
operations of the Spirit on the human heart, which do not 
issue in salvation. The influences of this almighty Agent 
must always be exerted on the moral constitution of man, 
or, in other words, must correspond with the office which 
he sustains and executes as the Sanctifier of them that 
believe. Now, we have yet to learn from the sacred 
Scriptures, that the process of sanctification is, in any in- 
stance, commenced, and afterwards abandoned. We 
have hitherto understood them as teaching, that God 
never begins a good work in the soul of an individual, 
without carrying it on to perfection. It is granted, that 
men frequently have convictions of guilt, which, though 
pungent and overwhelming for a season, produce no last- 
ing amendment of life. But these are readily accounted 
for, when we refer them to the dictates of conscience; 
and particularly of a conscience enlightened and stimu- 
lated by the natural operation of revealed truth, in a land 
blessed with the various institutions of Christianity. 
There is not the least necessity for supposing the inter- 
vention of that mystical and inconceivable agency which 
theologians have styled common grace. The idea of 
such an agency is unphilosophical, since all the moral 
phenomena which it is brought to explain, may be suffi- 
ciently solved without it. Our hearers, we doubt not, are 
now ready to inquire, what is meant by such Scriptural 
expressions as these: "My Spirit shall not always strive 
with man" — "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, 
whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption" — 



SERMON VI. 113 

96 Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost" — " Quench not 
the Spirit," — and others of like purport, which occur in 
the inspired record? We reply, without difficulty, that 
language of this description must be interpreted as re- 
ferring simply to men's misimprovement of the external 
means of grace. The context, in every instance, will be 
found, on a close and candid inspection, to call for this 
interpretation. Take, for example, the passage just 
quoted — "My Spirit shall not always strive with man." 
These, as you recollect, were the words of Jehovah, 
when, contemplating the depravity of the antediluvian 
world, it repented him that he had made man on the 
earth. Now, passing by the various explications which 
have been given by critics of the term Spirit, we contend 
that the utmost that can be gathered from the context, is, 
that when the Lord declared that his Spirit should not 
always strive with man, he alluded to the universal de- 
luge with which it was his secret purpose to visit and 
punish the first descendants of Adam. His language 
may be thus paraphrased : " The means of grace which 
I have instituted, and through which my Spirit operates 
in the conversion of sinuers — the exhortations, the remon- 
strances, the warnings, and the threatenings of Noah, 
whom I have commissioned as a. preacher of righteousness, 
— shall not always be enjoyed by this perverse generation. 
It is my intention soon to close their period of respite — 
to terminate their opportunity of repentance, by the deso- 
lating convulsions of a total inundation." — In short, when 
we speak of the Lord's departing from a man, and be- 
coming his enemy, we allude simply and entirely to the 
effect produced on the moral and religious character by a 
long neglect of the means of grace. The gospel of Christ, 
where it is not "a savour of life unto life," proves "a 
savour of death unto death." The heart that is not 



114 SERMON VI. 

softened and subdued by the repeated calls of divine 
mercy, is rendered harder and more obstinate. And this, 
we conceive, is all that is meant by the passage of Scrip- 
ture, so variously understood by commentators, which 
speaks of a sin against the Holy Ghost that is unpardon- 
able. The persevering misimprovement of superior ad- 
vantages so deadens every spiritual susceptibility of the 
soul, and lulls the conscience into so profound and fatal 
a lethargy, that all the means of grace become ineffectual, 
and the wretched individual, lost to virtue, happiness and 
God, goes on heaping up for himself wrath against the 
day of wrath. Ah! it had been good for such a man, as 
it had been good for Judas, if he had not been born ! 

Enough, it is presumed, has now been said to show, 
that the doctrine which we have deduced from our pre- 
sent text, has no tendency to dishonour the divine char- 
acter, by ascribing the destruction of any sinner, either in 
whole or in part, to the efficient agency of the Almighty. 
It is a gross misconception of this doctrine to suppose, 
that, when the Lord departs from a man and becomes his 
enemy, he puts forth an omnipotent arm to hinder the re- 
pentance, and preclude the salvation, of one who is thus 
handed over to perdition. Such a supposition were a 
blashemous imputation on the holiness and benignity of 
the Most High — an imputation which every enlightened 
believer in the sacred Scriptures will reject with inex- 
pressible abhorence. The Deity whom the Bible reveals 
and the Christian adores, has no pleasure in the death of 
the wicked. He always looks with deep commiseration 
on the downward course of impenitent offenders, and even 
when he yields to the imperious dictate of inflexible jus- 
tice, and swears in his wrath, that they shall not enter 
into his rest, he exerts no positive influence in determin- 
ing their continuance in sin. Nor, in truth, is it at all 



SERMON VI. H5 

necessary, that any such influence should be exerted. 
Only let the sinner persist in turning a deaf ear to the in- 
vitations of the Gospel — let him "throw on headlong ap- 
petite the slackened rein" — let him, like an independent 
man, recklessly resolve to live as he lists — let him, in a 
word, give himself up to the impulse of his own natural 
affections — and he will sink to the world of wo, by a law 
as uniform and imperative as that which brings down 
unsupported bodies to the earth — as that which hurries 
the mountain stream over every obstacle, until, at last, it 
finds its way to the ocean in which it is to be merged and 
lost for ever. 

Brethren, let us learn from our subject to day the im- 
portance of a close and unremitting attention to our spir- 
itual interests. It is only by timely and strenuous and 
untiring exertions, that these interests can be secured — 
that the inestimable blessings of salvation can be obtained. 
Indolence, which, in all pursuits, is inimical to success, 
is particularly so in the high concerns of religion. There 
is not a being through all the ranks of the redeemed in 
heaven — not an individual of our race in the whole throng 
of rejoicing spirits around the throne of God — who is more 
than scarcely saved. Of how much consequence, then, is 
it, that we, probationers for eternity, should give all dili- 
gence to make our calling and election sure ! O ! let us 
not exhaust our energies — let us not squander our days — 
in occupations and amusements, which have no fitness to 
advance our immortal welfare. Let us strive to enter in 
at the strait gate — let us work while it is called to day — 
let us live as becomes those who have a business to ac- 
complish, of no less magnitude and difficulty than the 
salvation of our souls. To loiter and trifle with such a 
task before us, is a kind and a degree of infatuation, for 
which no terms sufficiently expressive can be found in the 



UQ SERMON VI. 

entire range of human language. He who should de- 
liberately cast himself upon his couch for repose, as he 
saw the flames enkindling about his edifice, were a wise 
man compared with the fool who exclaims, A little 
sleep and a little slumber, when he has not yet made his 
peace with God — when the stupendous work of religion 
remains unexecuted. 

And, brethren, let us distinctly learn from our subject 
the danger — the awful danger — of continuance in habits 
of inattention to the established means of grace. The 
victim of such habits is dead while he lives. He is lost 
amid the noon-tide effulgence of the day of salvation. 
God only knows, how many in our present audience are 
in this deplorable state. You have been sitting for years 
under the Gospel's sound. Who can tell the opportunities 
which you have failed to improve ? Who can number the 
sermons to which you have listened in vain ? And have 
you no fear, that the sentence which Ephraim brought 
upon himself, may go forth against you — "He is joined 
to idols, let him alone?" Ah! dear hearers, we would 
not have you presume too much on the forbearance of 
your Maker. There is — believe us — there is a limit to 
his patience. And will you — can you — persist in the 
neglect of the great salvation which we now once more 
tender to your acceptance ? If you will — if you can — 
we have nothing more to say, except that the period is 
coming, when you may wish, and, perhaps, vainly wish, 
that you had acted otherwise. Yes, on the bed of death, 
you may be racked with feelings similar to those of Saul, 
when, in the frenzy of his despair, he sought to bring back 
the spirit of a departed saint to his relief. You may then 
inquire of Jehovah through the medium of his Word — 
through the medium of your own prayers, and those of 
your pious relatives and friends — and he will not answer 



SERMON VI. 1J7 

you. You may send for the ministers of the gospel, and 
they shall afford you no comfort. They will not, indeed, 
venture to address you in the language of Samuel to the 
Jewish potentate, for God has given them no authority 
to pronounce on the future destiny of any human being. 
But conscience, in a voice terrific as if it emanated from 
the unseen world, where disembodied spirits dwell, may 
say to the dying sinner, "The Lord is departed from 
thee, and is become thine enemy." 

We cannot conclude, without saying a word particu- 
larly to the youth in our assembly. It has been already 
intimated, that the morning of human life is the most 
auspicious season for producing religious impressions, 
and fixing religious habits. We well know that the 
young are too prone to commune with themselves in some 
such strain as this : "Our Maker, whose benignity towers 
above all his other attributes, has evidently destined us 
for enjoyment. To indulge the passions which he him- 
self has implanted in our nature, cannot be criminal. We 
may, therefore, spend the early part of our existence in 
the moderate pursuit of pleasure, and devote the residue 
to the calls of piety." But does language of this de- 
scription accord with the solemn lessons inculcated in the 
Bible? Point us to that portion of the inspired record, 
which sanctions the tenour of conduct you propose to 
adopt. The exhortation of the wise man is " Remember 
now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the 
evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh when thou 
shalt say, I have no pleasure in them." Hesitate not, 
we entreat you, to follow the preacher's judicious advice. 
If you neglect religion when young, the probability is so 
strong as to amount almost to a certainty, that you will 
do no better when old. And here allow us distinctly 
and emphatically to assure you, that the course which we 

13 



Hg SERMON VI. 

now recommend to you, instead of interfering, as you 
might erroneously imagine, with any rational scheme of 
felicity, is calculated to subserve alike your present and 
your future well-being. Godliness is profitable unto 
all things, having the promise of the life that now is, and 
of that which is to come. Wisdom's ways are pleasant- 
ness, and all her paths are peace. The New Testament 
condemns no pursuits, it prohibits no enjoyments, that 
consist with the true dignity and ultimate security of man. 
O! if happiness be the object of which you are in quest 
— happiness in the largest sense of the term, temporal, 
spiritual, and eternal — happiness suited to the capacities 
of intelligent, moral, and immortal beings, — come to the 
gospel; believe on Christ; obey his precepts — imitate 
his example. Then shall you obtain the pardon of sin, 
peace of conscience, and hearts fitted for the love and 
service of your God. Then shall you enjoy, in modera- 
tion and contentment, the substantial blessings of this 
life, and look forward to a bright and unfading inheritance 
beyond the grave. In short, then you need not fear that 
the Lord will ever depart from you, and become your 
enemy. He will be always near you. He will be your 
unchanging friend. 



SERMON VII, 






JOB XV. 16. 



" How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity 
like water?" 

The most casual reader of the sacred Scriptures, must 
be struck with the peculiar style which they adopt, when 
adverting to the moral state of the world. They describe 
the degeneracy and wickedness of men, in language far 
more glowing and pungent, in a tone of reprehension in- 
finitely more authoritative and severe, than is met with in 
any other writings. The ethical productions of Cicero 
and Seneca — the courtly sarcasms of Horace, and the 
sterner invectives of Juvenal — leave upon the mind a 
very different impression as to the nature, the extent, and 
the consequences of human depravity, from that produced 
by a perusal of the Bible. No uninspired moralist or 
poet, belonging either to ancient or to modern times, has 
ever intimated, or ever thought, that the corruption of our 
race is any thing like what the pages of divine revelation 
affirm. 

These remarks are amply illustrated by the passage 
now before us. We have here the strongest terms, and 
the most expressive figure, employed to impress us with 
a just idea of the depraved condition of mankind. — The 
words were uttered by Eliphaz the Temanite, in a con- 
versation with the pious, but afflicted, citizen of Uz. 
" What is man that he should be clean ? and he which is 
born of a woman, that he should be righteous ? Behold, 



120 SERMON VII. 

he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not 
clean in his sight. How much more abominable and 
filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?" 

We need not tell you that we propose to-day to treat 
of the depravity of man. The subject, indeed, is a hu- 
miliating one : but little do we know, dear hearers, of 
our own hearts, if we have yet to learn, that humiliation 
is the very thing of which we are all most in need. 

In prosecuting our present discourse, there are two 
distinct, though collateral, points, to which we shall ask 
your attention, viz. first, the universal and total depra- 
vity of man ; and, second, the native depravity of man. 

The first topic, then, on which we shall insist, is that 
of the universal and total depravity of man. — And here, 
a few preliminary remarks, by way of explanation, may 
be proper. 

When we speak of the universal depravity of man, we 
refer to the species in general, and our meaning is simply 
this : that all the individuals of our race have sinned, in 
a greater or less degree. They have transgressed the 
rule of duty, not only as laid down in the inspired record, 
but as ascertained by the dictates of their own consciences 
— as indicated by the very structure of their moral con- 
stitution. This truth is certainly taught in our text. The 
epithets abominable and filthy are here applied, not to 
some men, but to man in general ; and so we are here 
told, not that some men " drink iniquity like water," but 
that man in general does this. There are likewise many 
other scriptural passages which teach the same thing. 
Let us take one of the fullest and most striking. It occurs 
in the third chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, and 
consists of quotations from the Old Testament. "There 
is none righteous, no, not one ; there is none that under- 
standeth, there is none that seeketh after Grod. They 



SERMON VII. 121 

are all gone out of the way, they are together become un- 
profitable ; there is none that doeth good, no, not one." 
And in a subsequent verse of the same chapter, the 
apostle declares, in the most unqualified terms, that " all 
have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Now, 
with regard to this portion of sacred writ, it has been 
justly remarked, that the inspired penman is here speak- 
ing, not so much of particular individuals, as of the en- 
tire race. His representations, it is very true, were most 
literally applicable to the men of his own age and coun- 
try. But they are not less really applicable to the men 
of every age and country. In fact, if this were not the 
case, they would be irrelevant to the object of his argu- 
ment in the chapter, which is, to prove that all mankind 
have become guilty before God, and need the expiatory 
virtues of a Saviour's blood. 

Again, when we speak of the total depravity of man, 
we refer to the individuals of our race in particular ; and 
one or two observations may be necessary to explain 
fully and distinctly our meaning. 

First, then, by the total depravity of man, we do not 
mean that all the individuals of our race are equally cor- 
rupt. There is a very great difference among men, in 
respect to their degrees of moral turpitude. To deny 
this would be to adopt the maxim of the ancient Stoics, 
who held that all sins were equal. 

Nor, by the total depravity of man, do we mean that 
the individuals of our race exhibit no estimable traits of 
moral character. On the contrary, we admit that man, 
though fallen and corrupt, often displays a high degree 
of remaining virtue. There is much in the transactions 
of business — much in the toils and self-denials of patriot- 
ism — much in the charities of neighbourhood — and much 
in the endearments of domestic life, — on which it is not 



122 SERMON VII. 

extravagant to say, that the pure eyes of the Divinity 
may look with a kind of complacency. 

What, then, it will now be inquired, do we mean by 
the total depravity of man ? Our meaning, we answer, 
is briefly this; that the extent and degree of man's cor- 
ruption are such, that all his views, and feelings, and 
purposes, and acts, so far as they are of a moral nature, 
fall immeasurably below the just and reasonable require- 
ments of his Maker — that the prevailing state of his heart 
is characterized by a settled aversion to the divine autho- 
rity and laws. He delights not to contemplate the holi- 
ness and justice of Deity. This truth is taught in our 
text. The epithets abominable and filthy, and the asser- 
tion that we "drink iniquity like water," can surely 
imply nothing less. There is another passage of sacred 
writ, which declares, in the most peremptory terms, that 
" every imagination of the thoughts of man's heart, is 
only evil continually." This language, to be sure, was 
spoken with a particular reference to the antediluvian 
world. But human nature is essentially the same in 
every period. The deluge was not followed by a new 
creation. The earth was peopled afterwards by the de- 
scendants of those who lived before. — A third passage in 
point, is that place of Jeremiah, where we read, "The 
heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wick- 
ed ; who can know it?" 

Having thus explained what it is that we mean by the 
universal and total depravity of man, we may advance to 
the proof of this doctrine. Allusion has already been 
made to some of the scriptural passages which have a 
bearing on this subject. Many more of a similar purport 
might easily be adduced. But it will probably be more 
interesting to inquire, how far the truth in question is es- 
tablished by facts lying within the range of ordinary ob- 
servation and experience. 



SERMON VII. 123 

As one evidence of this truth, we observe, that there has 
never been an individual of our race, except the man 
Christ Jesus, who has enjoyed the reputation of being 
perfectly free from the taint of moral evil. This is a re- 
markable fact, on which much stress has been laid, but not 
more than it is fairly entitled to. We demand only a 
single instance of a human being, in respect to whom 
those who had the opportunity of knowing the circum- 
stances of his life, have pronounced, that, in their honest 
belief, he never committed a moral error. Help us, if 
you can, to such an instance. History furnishes none. 
Present observation furnishes none. The Son of God is 
the only partaker of our common nature, concerning 
whom it may be believed, on the concurrent testimony of 
friends and foes, that he " did no sin, neither was any 
guile found in his mouth. Every other member of the 
human family lies at least under a strong presumption of 
guilt. We feel persuaded, brethren, that however ex- 
tended may be the circle of your acquaintance, and how- 
ever long you may have lived in the world, you have 
never yet had the happiness to meet with a solitary per- 
son, whose conduct has appeared, in all respects, pre- 
cisely such as it ought to have been. It has been said, 
that no man is a hero in the eyes of his servants. We are 
sure, that no man is a saint in the estimation of his inti- 
mate friends. 

As a second evidence of the truth for which we con- 
tend, we observe, that the religions of all nations, ancient 
and modern, have recognized, as a leading principle, the 
universality of human corruption. It is certain, that the 
sacrificial rite, whenever or however it may have origi- 
nated, had obtained from time immemorial over the whole 
known world, at the era of the commencement of the 
Christian economy; since which period it has been found 



124 SERMON VII. 

to prevail among all the Pagan nations of the earth. Now 
this rite has always been understood as implying guilt on 
the part of man, and placability on the part of (rod. We 
perceive these notions relative to the nature and design of 
animal oblations distinctly stated even in so old an author 
as Homer: 

" If broken vows this heavy curse have laid, 
Let altars smoke, and hecatombs be paid." 

To the rite of sacrifice, we might add the various lustra- 
tions, ablutions, and similar ceremonies of paganism, all 
which tend most strongly to show, how the idea of hu- 
man depravity has incorporated itself with every system 
of religion under heaven. 

We proceed to remark, that not only the ecclesiastical, 
but the political institutions of all nations may be regarded 
as a striking evidence of the truth taught in our text. It 
is clear, that were it not for the depravity of man, there 
would be no necessity for any form of government in the 
world. The object, real and professed, of laws and ru- 
lers is to restrain the violence of human passions, and to 
protect each individual in the enjoyment of rights, which, 
but for this important regulation, a thousand arms would 
be instantly uplifted to take away from him. We would 
not here be understood as subscribing to the doctrine of 
certain philosophers who have maintained, that man is 
naturally the enemy of man. Indeed, if this doctrine 
were correct, it is obvious, that no system of government 
would be effectual in keeping society together ; or, rather, 
it is difficult to conceive, how any system of government 
should have originated. Perhaps we may go still farther, 
and say, in the language of a profound thinker, that, if 
the natural condition of man were a state of mutual hos- 
tility, " the whole race must have ceased to exist, before 
the period at which they could be supposed capable of 



SERMON VII. 125 

existing even in a state of war." But although man is 
not naturally the foe of his fellow beings, all experience 
has shown, that the general corruption of the species is 
such as to render governments of some form indispensable 
to the existence, as well as to the peace and happiness, 
of communities. The circumstance, that the wisest legis- 
lators have been accounted the best benefactors of their 
country, goes far to demonstrate, that there is no exag- 
geration in the scriptural representations of human de- 
pravity. 

As a further evidence of the truth inculcated in the 
text, we appeal to the existence of natural evil in the 
world. We think it may be laid down, as an incontro- 
vertible principle, that a race of moral agents perfectly in- 
nocent, must be strangers to misery. All suffering, 
whether physical or mental, is an effect of sin. We are 
very far, indeed, from affirming, that, in this life, every 
individual is afflicted exactly in proportion to his deme- 
rits. If such were the case, the present world would be a 
state, not of discipline, but of retribution. Our position is 
simply this, that, as every human being is more or less 
subject to pain and sorrow, so every human being must 
be an offender in the sight of God. 

We might now go on to speak of many amusements of 
mankind, as an argument for the truth of our text. And 
on this article, we should not find it necessary to recur to 
the gladiatorial exhibitions of the ancients. We could, 
if we are not greatly mistaken, select from the various 
diversions of our own age — yes, and even from those of 
our own country — quite enough to answer our purpose. 
A single instance will suffice. You may be surprised to 
hear the public execution of criminals, mentioned in con- 
nexion with this topic. Such execution, to be sure, is not 
ostensibly — but it is virtually — a great popular amuse- 

14 



i26 SERMON VII. 

meat; and we know, that the officer of justice, who should 
presume on his own responsibility, and without the au- 
thority of positive law, to deprive the people of such a 
spectacle, when they had been expecting it, would incur 
no small degree of odium. Now, let any one look at the 
avidity with which vast multitudes of both sexes as- 
semble, to witness a fellow creature expiring in ignominy 
and torture, and then tell us, whether he can solve the 
phenomenon, on any other principle, so well as on the 
one for which we are this morning contending. — We 
would not here be understood as intimating any opinion 
as to the lawfulness, or the expediency, of capital punish- 
ments. But we have no hesitancy in saying, that, if cul- 
prits are to be executed, the tragical ceremony should be 
performed in private. We rejoice too to find, that the 
opinion of the community at large, is becoming somewhat 
enlightened in respect to the demoralizing effects of public 
executions. 

There is another fact to which we apprehend that we 
might safely refer in support of the truth taught in our 
text. The observation has been often made* that men 
will sometimes do that, in a corporate capacity, which 
they would not venture to do as individuals. Every one 
must have heard that saying from the highest legal au- 
thority, that " corporations have no souls ?' for it has been 
quoted, we suppose, at least as often as a suit has been 
brought against any one of these fictitious bodies. Now, 
without dwelling on the circumstance alluded to, we 
would simply put the question, whether it does not help 
to evince the depravity of human nature. Surely there 
must be something wrong in the moral state of our race, 
when men will avail themselves of a combined responsi- 
bility, to pursue a line of conduct, from which, as separate 
agents, they would feel impelled to keep aloof. 



SERMON VII. 127 

But instead of following this course of argument, we 
choose to carry our appeal directly to your consciences. 
We request you, dear hearers, to look into your own 
bosoms, and then decide, whether the language of this 
text is wholly inapplicable to you. Let each individual 
sit in judgment on himself — let him try his conduct, we 
do not say by the requisitions of the Bible, but by his 
own natural sense of right and wrong — let him only do 
this honestly and thoroughly, and we are quite sure, that 
his verdict will be in unison with the representations of 
the inspired record. 

And here, brethren, we have one question, in particular, 
to propose. Tell us, would you have no objection to pub- 
lish to the world, a faithful and minute history of all 
the transactions in which you have been? engaged? 
Say, would you unbosom, even to the dearest and most 
confidential friend that you have ever known, all that has 
passed within the deep recesses of your souls ? — We can 
answer for you in the negative. There is not a man on 
earth, no matter how eminently moral, or how sincerely 
pious, who would be willing to expose his heart, with all 
its secret thoughts and desires, to the inspection of another 
human being. Every one is conscious of some crime, or 
of some frailty, which he deems too bad or too weak for 
disclosure. The confessions of Rousseau form a very 
singular exhibition of his own depravity — an exhibition 
such as no individual, not lost to all sense of virtue and 
decorum, w r ould have submitted to the public eye. But 
who imagines, that even he has told the whole truth? 

Now, on this general fact, which none, it is presumed, 
will attempt to deny, we take our stand. Concealment 
is incompatible with a consciousness of perfect rectitude. 
Iudeed it is the first and most natural impulse of guilt. 
There was nothing like secrecy, or reserve in Eden, so 



128 SERMON VII. 

long as our first parents retained their integrity. It 
was not till after their fall, that they " hid themselves 
from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the 
garden/' A man who felt himself to be absolutely guilt- 
less, could have no motive for desiring to cast a veil over 
any one incident of his moral history. He would not, 
indeed, be disposed to boast of his iutegrity. But he 
would certainly perceive no advantage likely to result to 
himself, or to others, from burying in oblivion a single 
emotion that ever arose in his heart, or a single thought 
that ever found its way to his mind. Virtue « dwells 
like Uriel in the sun." We, therefore, feel warranted in 
saying, that, as every man's bosom is the depository of 
some secrets or secret never to be divulged — or, at least, 
not to be divulged till the day of final account — the inev- 
itable conclusion is, that every man is a sinner. And on 
this ground we are not reluctant to rest the argument. 

The second point on which we propose to insist, is in- 
cluded in the proposition, that man is a being naturally 
depraved. — This proposition has often been denied. 
Those who are conversant with our most popular authors 
in the department of ethics, and in that of elegant litera- 
ture, cannot have failed to observe, how uniformly such 
authors ascribe the moral degeneracy of men to the influ- 
ence of example and to various adventitious circumstan- 
ces, instead of accounting for it on the scriptural principle, 
that we are all shapen in iniquity, and conceived in sin. 
The arguments with which our moralists, from the pro- 
fessed philosopher in his academic chair, down to the pe- 
riodical essayist and the poet, endeavour to reform the 
human kind, seem to proceed on the supposition, that our 
race is by nature more inclined to virtue than to vice, or, 
at any rate, is as much inclined to the one, as to the other. 
This fault, of course, does not obtain, to an equal degree, 



SERMON VII. 129 

id all our writers. But there are very few, even of those 
whose morality approaches the nearest to the evangelical 
standard, that are entirely exempt from it. 

The truth for which we contend, has likewise met with 
opponents among writers professedly theological. It has 
in particular been combated by the Unitarians of Eng- 
land and our own country. The great champion of the 
sect on the other side of the Atlantic, has gone so far as 
to assert, that even in the most depraved of our race, there 
is a decided preponderance of virtue over vice.* He 
also says, in so many words, that " the only difference 
between the most virtuous and the most vicious person, 
is, that the former was placed in circumstances, and ex- 
posed to impressions, which generated virtuous habits 
and affections, and the latter in circumstances by which 
vicious principles and dispositions were produced." This, 
it will be observed, is the same general doctrine, a little 
differently expressed, which a still later writer (whether 
he accounts himself a theologian, or only a philosopher, 
we are not informed) has taken such Quixotic pains to 
propagate, under the title of, "A New View of Society." 

It will be of importance, before we proceed any farther, 
to endeavour to state, as concisely and perspicuously as 
possible, what it is that we mean, when we say, that man 
is by nature a depraved being. And this we can do, 
without touching the question so much mooted among di- 
vines, whether (to use their own language) man is born 
"guilty of Adam's first sin." Leaving this litigated 
question to those who feel an interest in discussing it, we 
would remark, distinctly and emphatically, that when we 
affirm the native depravity of our race, we do not mean 
that men come into the world with any positive and ac- 

* The same opinion was avowed and emphatically reiterated by Dr. Ware, 
in his controversy with Professor Woods. 



130 SERMON VII. 

tually existing propensities to evil. Our meaning is 
simply this, that every human being enters into life under 
such circumstances, that, as soon as he becomes capable 
of distinguishing what is right from what is wrong, he 
will evince a preference for the wrong; or, in other 
words, that no individual of the species can pass the 
period at which his moral agency begins, without being 
guilty of actual transgression. 

And here it must be understood, that we do not profess 
an ability to explain, or comprehend, how a child derives 
a corrupt nature from its parents. This is a matter that 
lies far beyond the sphere of legitimate inquiry. The 
fact, that man is by nature depraved, is all that the Scrip- 
tures reveal, and all that any judicious thinker would 
take upon him to maintain. This fact we are not at 
liberty to reject, merely because we may be incompetent 
to ascertain why and how it happens. If the phenomenon 
be a real one, we are bound by the dictates of common 
sense, as well as by the rules of sound philosophy, to re- 
ceive it, however numerous and inexplicable may be the 
difficulties with which, to our short-sighted view, it ap- 
pears to be attended. 

We shall not extend to an undue length, the second 
division of our subject, by entering into an examination 
of the several scriptural passages which either assert or 
imply the natural corruption of our race. It is sufficient 
to remark, that this truth, in our estimation, is taught in 
our present text. It may be fairly deduced from the 
figure, which compares the fondness of the soul for ini- 
quity, with one of the most importunate appetites of the 
body. What must be the moral condition of that being, 
who rushes on evil with as much avidity, as, iu a pa- 
roxysm of thirst, we betake ourselves to the cooling foun- 
tain? — But apart from the testimony of holy writ, there 



SERMON VII. 131 

are some arguments sufficient, unless we greatly overrate 
their force, to establish the truth which we are attempting 
to defend. 

The universal depravity of man has already been de- 
monstrated. Now, we conceive, that the universality of 
human corruption, is itself a conclusive evidence that such 
corruption is natural. How else can it be satisfactorily 
explained? When we see that all men are more or less 
tainted with moral defilement, and when we find that 
every authentic historical document to which we can gain 
access, goes to show the existence of a similar state of 
things in all preceding ages of the world, how can we 
withhold our assent from the position, that our race is 
naturally depraved? Whence has it happened, that 
among all the millions of men that have lived and died 
within the range of nearly six thousand years, there has 
never been a solitary individual, except the more than 
human author of Christianity, respecting whom it might 
be affirmed, that he passed, we do not say the whole of 
his existence on earth, but even any given fractional part 
of such existence, without either doing something which 
he ought not to have done, or leaving undone something 
which he ought to have done — whence, we ask, has this 
happened, but from the natural depravity of human kind? 

There is, indeed, a different mode, in which certain 
writers have sought to account for the fact to which we 
are now adverting — the universality of human corruption. 
They have referred, as already observed, such corruption 
to the influence of example. The principle of imitation 
they deem sufficient to explain the phenomenon. Now, 
we admit that man is an imitative being. We are by no 
means reluctant to grant, that evil examples have contri- 
buted very largely to the increase and extension of wick- 
edness throughout the world. But then we contend, that 



132 SERMON VII. 

this circumstance is far from furnishing a cause adequate 
to the production of all the effects traced to it. Unless 
men were naturally depraved, they would be at least as 
ready to imitate good examples as bad ones. Yet we 
all know that such is not the case. Melancholy expe- 
rience proves, that there is in the human mind a morbid 
proneness to imbibe the sentiments, contract the habits, 
and copy the general conduct of the vicious, rather than 
of the virtuous. Every attentive and candid observer 
must concede, that there are moral phenomena connected 
with our earliest mental operations, which the imitative 
principle will not explain. Children undoubtedly betray 
propensities of an unamiable kind, which this principle 
could have had no agency in creating. — And, after all, 
who does not perceive, that to impute the universal de- 
pravity of man to the influence of bad examples, is, as 
President Edwards, with his usual acuteness, remarks, 
"accounting for the thing by the thing itself?" It is, to 
explain " the corruption of the world by the corruption of 
the world." 

Another fact which has been urged to prove the native 
depravity of man, is, the sufferings and death of infants. 
We are not ignorant that some persons put on a super- 
cilious air, and look exceedingly wise when this argu- 
ment is brought into view. But to each of these sneerers 
we would say, as Eliphaz says to Job in the chapter 
whence our text is taken — " Art thou the first man that 
was born? or wast thou made before the hills? What 
knowest thou that we know not? or what understandest 
thou which is not in us?" Although we have no special 
regard for ancient opinions and arguments, merely be- 
cause of their antiquity, any more than we have for the 
bones and other relics of reputed saints; yet we are not 
ashamed, even in these enlightened days, to take the old 



SERMON VII. 133 

ground, that the fact which we have mentioned, is best 
explained on the Scriptural principle, that every human 
being is "conceived in sin, and shapen in iniquity." 
Death is the greatest physical evil to which humanity is 
exposed. The Bible represents it as the consequence 
and penalty of moral defection. In this light, too, philo- 
sophy must contemplate it, since reason forbids the idea, 
that the Deity inflicts on any of his intelligent creatures, 
misery, which they have, in no sense whatever, deserved. 
Now, a very large proportion — about one third — of man- 
kind die in infancy. In other words, a vast multi- 
tude of human beings, incapable of personal transgres- 
sion, are subjected to the punishment of sin. Can there 
be a stronger evidence, that these sufferers, though inno- 
cent as individuals, must belong to a race naturally de- 
praved? 

To this argument it is replied, that the death of infants 
is only a partial evil incidental to the operation of a general 
law. This is a point on the discussion of which our limits 
will not allow us to enter. We must, therefore, be content 
with remarking, that the death of infants, instead of being 
a mere exception to a general law, is itself a general law. 
And in support of this position, it is enough to refer to 
the extremely large proportion of those who die in infancy. 
When a human being commences his career, the chance 
is only as two to one, that he will live to become a moral 
agent. 

But there is a further and more plausible objection to 
our present argument. We are told, that the death of 
infants maybe viewed as a merciful dispensation, inasmuch 
as it early removes them from a scene of trial and sorrow, 
to a state of perfect purity and bliss. This objection, 
however, is readily aswered. Death, in spite of all our 
efforts to foster a contrary persuasion, is a real evil — an 

15 



134 SERMON VII. 

evil from which every living creature instinctively recoils. 
The amplest resources of philosophy fail to reconcile us to 
the idea of our own dissolution, or to that of our relatives 
and friends. The consolations of religion, it is true, are 
sufficient for this purpose. Yet even they, emanating, as 
they do, from the fulness of divine grace, are barely suf- 
ficient. Besides, although the parents, when hanging 
over the cradle of their infant, to witness its expiring 
agonies, and mark its last breath, may find some comfort 
in the thought, that it is on the eve of a happy transition 
—although they, by a strong act of faith, may hush every 
rising murmur, and devoutly say, " The Lord gave, and 
the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord" 
— yet what has the little sufferer to mitigate its pangs, 
and diffuse serenity over its spirit? ! gladly would the 
mother whisper in its ear, that the conflict will soon be 
ended, and the sun-light of a glorious immortality break 
upon its view ! With transport would she point the eye 
of its mind to the expanded arms of a Saviour — the same 
Saviour, whose precious saying we have, " Suffer little 
children, and forbid them not to come unto me ; for of 
such is the kingdom of heaven." But impotent wish! 
Vain endeavour — Now, it matters not, that the pains of 
dissolution are short in duration, while the felicity that 
follows is eternal. The question still arises, Why is any 
suffering imposed on an innocent being ? Why must the 
ordeal of death be passed by all of human kind, before 
possession can be had of the inheritance that fadeth not 
away ? 

We must not dismiss this part of our subject, without 
adding a word respecting the salvation of infants. It is 
the more necessary to be guarded and explicit on this 
point, because the notion has long been a prevalent one, 
that ministers of the particular church to which we belong, 



SERMON VII. 135 

hold, that some who die in infancy are lost. You may 
often hear it given, as one prominent article of their be- 
lief, that "there are children in hell not a span long." 
Many is the good old orthodox preacher, to whom this 
charitable saying has been imputed by an offended hearer. 
And yet we have some doubts, whether it was ever really 
uttered by any one individual to express his own convic- 
tions on the subject. The fact is, not that any Calvinistic 
divine, so far as we know, positively believes in the dam- 
nation of infants, but that some — -we trust not many — 
regard the question as a doubtful one, in respect to which 
a confident opinion ought not to be formed. We leave 
such cautious inquirers to the free possession and full en- 
joyment of their doubts; happy to adopt for ourselves a 
view of this matter less calculated to dishonour God, and 
to do violence to our own sensibilities. We do not 
scruple to say, as our mature impression, that to suppose 
any being not guilty of actual sin can be finally miserable, 
is utterly — nay, dreadfully inconsistent with rational and 
scriptural conceptions relative to the divine character and 
government. This is our most deliberate conviction. 
We are just as certain, that every dying infant shall be 
saved, as we are, that there is a God. And yet we firmly 
believe in the native depravity of man. We are per- 
suaded, that the infant, with all its apparent and its real 
innocence, inherits a corrupt nature, though one which 
almighty grace may renew and sanctify. The young 
lion is as harmless as the new-born babe. And so is the 
young viper. But they both have, in their physical con- 
stitution, principles, which, when developed by time, 
must render them as terrible, and as noxious, as any of 
their species. In like manner, the infant, guiltless and 
lovely as it appears to every eye, possesses a moral con- 
stitution, which unless prevented by the occurrence of 



136 SERMON VII. 

death, must infallibly and speedily evolve the baneful 
elements of transgression. 

There is a third circumstance to illustrate the native 
depravity of our race, which we shall merely mention in 
this place, as we have not time to dwell upon it. Do we 
not habitually associate with all our conceptions of virtue 
in man, the idea of effort, of restraint, of self-denial? Is 
it not unquestionable, that, in all our views on this subject 
— in all our plans for promoting our own moral improve- 
ment, and that of others — we proceed, unconsciously as it 
were, on the supposition, that the human being is not by 
nature inclined to be virtuous ? When he becomes so, it 
is in consequence of some check voluntarily imposed on 
his passions and his conduct. But no effort, no restraint, no 
self-denial are wanted to render a person vicious. The 
argument flowing from this fact is a cogent one. 

Not less cogent is the argument which we would de- 
rive, in the next place, from the little effect that moral 
suasion has had in meliorating the general character and 
condition of our unhappy race. Look, for example, at 
the renowned teachers of pagan antiquity. We know 
with what elegance and eloquence they illustrated the 
science, and enforced the duties of ethics. And yet they 
had almost no success whatever in promoting, on an ex- 
tended scale, the cause of virtue. The world manifestly 
grew worse in their hands. Again, contemplate the im- 
potency of moral writing, and even of evangelical preach- 
ing, in our own day. The ablest productions that issue 
from the press — the most energetic addresses that are de- 
livered from the pulpit — utterly fail to produce impres- 
sions such as might be expected from them. The author 
is read — the orator is heard. But the reader — the hearer 
— is unamended. There is one fact connected with this 
point, to which we must not omit distinctly to refer, be- 






SERMON VII. 137 

cause we regard it as the strongest that can be adduced 
or conceived. We allude to the comparatively little effect 
that resulted immediately from the personal ministry of 
our divine Lord himself. He delivered the lessons of 
wisdom and of virtue, with a perspicuity and a majesty 
such as had never been witnessed in the synagogues of 
Judea, in the forum of Rome, or in the porticos of Greece. 
And yet how powerless an engine was moral suasion, 
even in the hands of him who spake as never man spake, 
when arrayed against the corruption of the human heart! 
His professed converts, after three years' labour, were 
few in number and humble in circumstances; and the 
same populace that had hung with rapture on his elo- 
quence, thronged the judgment-hall of Pilate, exclaiming, 
Crucify him, crucify him! 

An additional argument, and the last to which we shall 
appeal, in behalf of the native depravity of man, arises 
from the circumstance, that the temporal judgments of 
God contribute so feebly to the moral improvement of 
those by whom they are experienced. We might, did 
time permit, refer, in support of this position, to various 
scriptural facts; and particularly to the universal deluge 
— that greatest of all temporal judgments. But, brethren, 
instead of going back to ages long past, let us look at our 
own personal experience. Have we never been visited 
with temporal judgments from God ? Has he never laid 
upon us his chastising rod? Has he not caused us to feel, 
in our own persons, a portion of his displeasure against 
sin? Has he not occasionally sent upon us sickness and 
pain, and terrified us with the prospect of a speedy sum- 
mons to his dread tribunal? Or, if he has not done this, 
has he not removed from us some object on which our 
hopes and our affections were fixed? Has he not torn 
from our embrace some relative or friend, to whom we 



138 



SEKMON VII. 



were ardently attached? And what effect of a salutary 
kind, have these dispensations of his providence pro- 
duced? Have they benefited our hearts? Have they 
altered the general complexion and prevailing tendency 
of our moral exercises? Have they diverted the current 
of our inclinations from their old channel? In one word, 
have they rendered us any better than we were before? — 
Alas! in too many instances they have not. And even 
where we cannot say that they have been wholly ineffec- 
tual, we must ascribe their beneficial results solely to the 
grace of God. We are, therefore, fully borne out in our 
position, that no temporal judgments, however over- 
whelming their nature, however long their duration, or 
however frequent their occurrence, do, of themselves, 
(independently of a sanctifying influence from on high,) 
meliorate, in any considerable degree, the moral condi- 
tion of man. Now we apprehend that this circumstance, 
duly weighed, proves that the scriptural representations 
of human depravity are not overcharged. 

We have not time, on this occasion, to examine the 
common objection to the doctrine of man's native depra- 
vity, that this doctrine is inconsistent with the divine 
purity and benevolence. It must suffice to remark, that 
it is precisely as difficult to reconcile the moral character 
of Deity, with the actual existence of sin in the world, as 
with the truth for which we are contending. And the 
same may be said of the objection to our doctrine, drawn 
from its supposed inconsistency with the moral agency of 
man. Besides, we recur to the position already laid 
down, that, if the native depravity of our race be a fact 
asserted by Scripture, and abundantly confirmed by rea- 
son and experience, (and we have shown that it is,) then 
we cannot, without rejecting the Bible, and trampling on 
the soundest maxims of science, refuse our credence, not- 



SERMON VII. 139 

withstanding that there may be difficulties connected with 
this truth, which baffle our efforts fully to explain them. 

We have thus attempted to demonstrate the universal, 
total, and native corruption of our race. In doing this, we 
have realized the correctness of a remark made at the 
commencement of our discourse, that the subject is a 
humiliating one. It is mortifying to think, that we who 
possess faculties which raise us far above the irrational 
animals that surround us — we who are capable of ranging 
with a thirst for knowledge that is never saturated, the 
universe of matter, and the nobler universe of mind — we 
who were originally fashioned in our Maker's image, and 
endued with every qualification for his acceptable service, 
O! it is mortifying to think, that we should all have be- 
come so " abominable and filthy," as to " drink iniquity 
like water." Yet such is the melancholy truth. We 
have all, without a solitary exception, rebelled against 
the authority, and violated the laws, of the Lord our (rod. 
This, beyond controversy, is the character and condition 
of man — 



man; 



Sinful and weak, in ev'ry sense a wretch; 
An instrument, whose chords upon the stretch, 
And strain'd to the last screw that he can bear, 
Yields only discord to his Maker's ear." 

Many are the practical reflections which must arise on 
a review of this subject. But as so large a demand has 
already been made on your patience, we must confine our 
closing remarks to a single point. Is it so, that every 
human being is by nature totally depraved? Then there 
is surely nothing very extravagant or unreasonable in 
that evangelical doctrine, which asserts the necessity of a 
fundamental alteration in our moral frame, before we can 
be qualified to perform the will, and enjoy the smiles of 
our Maker. This doctrine perfectly accords with the 



140 SERMON VII. 

soundest deductions of philosophy. There are those, we 
well know, who regard the idea of a new birth, or second 
creation, on which the New Testament so strenuously 
insists, as only fit to be embraced by weak and canting 
enthusiasts. But we take our stand on the broad ground 
of common sense, and affirm, that, without a radical 
change of views, and feelings, and pursuits, a being na- 
turally corrupt can never become virtuous and happy. 
And how is this great revolution to be effected? We an- 
swer, only by divine power. We admit that moral sua- 
sion may, in some instances, produce a partial and tem- 
porary reformation. We farther admit that it may even 
produce a partial reformation that shall be permanent. 
But it can do no more. It cannot regenerate the soul. 
It has no creative energy. Vainly does it issue its fiat — 
"Let there be light," across the dark chaos of man's 
heart. The mandate is an empty sound. No light 
rises into being. The gloom remains as thick and pal- 
pable as it was before. We repeat it — regeneration can 
be accomplished only by the agency of the almighty 
Spirit. The same power which gave existence to the 
human being at first, is requisite to new-model his de- 
praved affections, and re- constitute his entire moral system. 
But, brethren, we may admit the fact of man's natural 
corruption, and we may farther admit the doctrinal in- 
ference as to the necessity of regeneration, which has just 
been drawn from it — we may admit both these truths, as 
a matter of mere speculation, and yet be really in no 
better condition, as to our immortal interests, than those 
who will concede neither the one nor the other. The 
grand question is, Have we been born again? Have 
our souls been renovated by the power of the High and 
Holy One? — Let us entreat you, dear hearers, to urge this 
momentous query on your consciences. O! remember 



sermon yra. 141 

that, without a change of heart, you must perish — perish 
for ever. Rest assured, that the threshold of heaven 
shall never be crossed by one individual of the human 
family, who has not been the subject of a second creation 
— in whom old things have not passed away, and all 
things become new. Without holiness — that holiness 
which has its origin in regeneration — no man shall see 
the Lord. 



SERMON VIII. 

JEREMIAH II. 12, 13. 

" Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very 
desolate, saith the Lord. For my people have committed two evils; they have 
forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, bro- 
ken cisterns, that can hold no water." 

Jeremiah commenced his ministry in the thirteenth 
year of the reign of Josiah. He was very young when 
called to the prophetical office, and on this ground would 
gladly have excused himself. " Ah, Lord God," said he, 
"behold, I cannot speak, for I am a child." This 
modest plea, however, could not be admitted by Jehovah. 
His language to Jeremiah was : " Say not, I am a child : 
for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and what- 
soever £ command thee, thou shalt speak. Be not afraid 
of their faces ; for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith 
the Lord." We are told, that God then put forth his 
hand and touched the prophet's lips, adding, " Behold, I 
put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set 
thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, 

16 



142 SERMON VIII. 

and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to 
build and to plant." 

It was the lot of Jeremiah to sustain the prophetical 
office at a period in which the Jews had grown exceedingly 
corrupt. He was commissioned by God to reprove them 
for their abandonment of the divine ordinances, and to 
warn them, that, if they continued in their idolatrous 
practices, the severest national judgments would be the 
certain and the speedy consequence. 

The prophet, speaking in the name of his God, here 
accuses his countrymen the Jews of two enormous sins ; 
first, their abandonment of Jehovah; and second, their 
adherence to idols. The former is represented under the 
figure of their forsaking the fountain of living waters, and 
the latter under that of their hewing out for themselves 
cisterns, broken cisterns, that could hold no water. Now, 
such conduct was surely unwise and criminal in no ordi- 
nary degree. It indicated the deepest ingratitude towards 
their best Benefactor. It likewise betrayed the most 
glaring disregard for their own truest interests. Well, 
therefore, might the inhabitants of heaven be solemnly 
called upon to contemplate it with astonishment and 
horror. 

But the passage before us, though penned originally 
in reference to the ancient Jews, may be readily accom- 
modated to the case of many in our own day. There are 
not a few at the present period, with regard to whom it 
may be affirmed, that they have done the identical thing 
here alleged against the idolatrous descendants of Abra- 
ham — that they have committed two evils; one in for- 
saking the fountain of living waters, that is, rejecting the 
gospel of Christ; and another in hewing out for them- 
selves cisterns, that can hold no water, that is, relying 
for pardon and acceptance with the Deity, on views of 



SERMON VIII. 143 

their own suggestion, and schemes of their own inven- 
tion. 

We have said, that the number of those who thus act, 
is considerable. By this assertion it is not intended to 
intimate that a formal and an avowed substitution of 
some other system of religion in the room of Christianity, 
prevails to any extent in our own country. Such an in- 
timation would be incorrect. Infidelity, in the strictest 
sense of the term, has been going out of fashion for the 
last fifteen or twenty years. Our politicians, whose busi- 
ness it is to study the thermometer of public sentiment and 
feeling, are not now ambitious of the reputation of scep- 
tics. They have generally no desire to display their fa- 
miliarity with the writings of unbelievers. An honest 
Christian is no longer backward in saying, that he thinks 
the " Age of Reason," the production of an ignorant, a 
vulgar, and an impious mind. All this he may venture 
to assert without hearing in reply, that he should not 
speak harshly of one to whose services as a political 
writer our country is so much indebted, as if any thing 
could make amends for open, deliberate, and high-handed 
blasphemy, and as if the services in question had not been 
more than repaid by the very kind of consideration for 
which they were rendered. — The number of professed 
infidels, then, is now small. But the number of virtual 
infidels — of those who, whatever may be their theoretical 
views of the gospel, reject it in practice — is not small. 
We may presume, without a breach of charity, that there 
are such in the audience before us, and consequently, that 
the passage to which we would direct your attention this 
morning, is by no means inapplicable and inappropriate. 
May the Spirit of the Most High— the all-powerful 
Agent of salvation — accompany our remarks with his 
blessing! 



144 SERMON VIII. 

The first sin condemned in our text, is that of " for- 
saking the fountain of living waters," or, as we propose 
to understand the passage, "rejecting the gospel of 
Christ." The position which we lay down is this, that 
the bare rejection of the Christian system, no matter what 
may be the particular merits of the scheme substituted in 
its stead, is a flagrant offence in the estimation of God — 
an offence sufficient to ruin eternally the individual who 
commits it — an offence of such a nature, that all the pure 
beings in the universe look upon it with mingled emotions 
of wonder and dismay. 

We shall here take it for granted, that the gospel, or, 
in other words, the system of religion exhibited in the 
New Testament, is divine in its origin. Our limits will 
not allow us to present even an outline of the various evi- 
dences which might be urged in support of this truth. 
"We may confidently affirm, that they are quite sufficient 
to produce the fullest conviction in every attentive and 
impartial mind. Certain it is, that they obtained the 
assent of Newton and Locke, two of the most illustrious 
master-spirits of our race. We know, indeed, that some 
have referred the faith of those great men to the influence 
of prejudice, and that an infidel of the last century, dis- 
tinguished for his wit, has adverted to Newton's belief in 
Christianity, as a signal instance of the occasional weak- 
ness, into which intellects of the highest order may fall. 
But we have no right to presume, that philosophers, in whom 
cautiousness of inquiry and slowness of decision were 
eminently characteristical traits, would yield a hasty cre- 
dence to the gospel of Christ. All that we know of their 
mental qualities and habits forbids us to suspect, that they 
embraced the Christian system without a careful and 
thorough investigation of the grounds on which it chal- 
lenges the homage of mankind. They, no doubt, closely 



SERMON VIII. 145 

examined, and maturely weighed, the proofs on which 
its claims to credibility rest. The evidences of its divine 
original they found perfectly satisfactory ; and, therefore, 
the assent which they yielded to its truths, so far from 
being the offspring of prejudice, or from indicating an oc- 
casional failure of intellectual vigour, shows that they 
could scrutinize the merits of our religion, with the same 
spirit of sound and rigid philosophy, which had enabled 
them to explore so sublimely and luminously, the one the 
laws of matter, and the other the phenomena of mind. 
And we may add, that, while every one should think 
and conclude for himself on this momentous subject, the 
fact, that Newton and Locke were enlightened and firm 
believers in Christianity, may be regarded as a species of 
secondary evidence in behalf of the gospel's divine origin. 

Now if the gospel be, as we assume that it is, an ex- 
plicit and authoritative disclosure of the will of Grod, in 
relation to our present duties and our future destiny, who 
can doubt that the rejection of it is highly crimiual? 
"Will any one pretend to deny that we are solemnly 
bound to receive with gratitude and meek submission, 
any intimation of his pleasure which the Deity may think 
proper to afford us? Has he not an indubitable right to 
prescribe the mode in which we his fallen creatures shall 
approach his throne, and present to him our tribute of 
adoration and obedience ? And if it be once ascertained 
that he has exercised this sovereign prerogative, in re- 
vealing a system of truths for the direction of our faith, 
and a code of laws for the government of our conduct, 
what more can be requisite to evince that they who dis- 
card or neglect such revelation, incur a fearful amount of 
guilt ? 

But there are those who say, " The gospel is, in many 
respects, above our comprehension, and even in those 



146 SERMON VIII. 

particulars in which we do understand it, we cannot al- 
ways discern the fitness and the excellence of what it in- 
culcates. Now, are we to be accounted culpable for not 
adopting a system, which is either incomprehensible, or 
else repuguant to the dictates of our reason ? Can we 
believe at pleasure ? Is not faith an act of the mind, de- 
pending on circumstances entirely beyond our control, 
and, therefore, having as little connexion with moral cha- 
racter, as the height of our stature, the hue of our skin, 
or the colour of our hair?" Such is the miserable so- 
phistry — the wretched special pleading — with which 
some men attempt to apologize for their rejection of the 
gospel. They forget that the question is not, whether 
the Christian system be perfectly comprehensible, and 
conformable in all its parts to our views of propriety — 
but simply, whether it has come from heaven, and is a 
revelation of the divine will? It does not occur to them, 
that their preconceived hostility to the theoretical truths, 
and the practical requirements of this system, may pre- 
vent them from duly appreciating the force of its claims 
to credibility. And when they affirm that unbelief is, in 
no case, criminal, they betray a signal want of discrimi- 
nation ; for surely the unbelief in respect to a matter of 
infinite moment, which results from prejudice, cannot be 
innocent. What would we think of a judge, who, as 
soon as a cause comes on for trial, should at once take 
up the opinion, that one of the parties, whose integrity he 
had previously doubted, was certainly in the wrong, and 
on this ground should either refuse to hear any evidence 
to the contrary that might be offered, or else attend to it 
negligently, and with a predetermination to find it irrele- 
vant or inconclusive? We would have no difficulty in 
pronouncing such a man not only unfit for the official 
station which he occupied, but worthy of severe punish- 



SERMON VIII. 147 

ment. And where, we should like to learn, is the dif- 
ference between his conduct, and that of those who allow 
their prejudices to disqualify them for a proper investiga- 
tion of the proofs in support of Christianity? There is 
none. We are therefore entitled to affirm, that the re- 
jection of the gospel on the part of those who have access 
to the evidences in behalf of its divine origin, is criminal 
— yes, and criminal to the extent of sealing their ever- 
lasting destruction. Indeed, we can conceive of only one 
plea which they may urge in extenuation of their unbe- 
lief. They may allege that their understandings are too 
feeble to examine these evidences. But we would have 
them to know, that even this plea will not avail them, 
unless they can make it appear that they belong to that 
unfortunate portion of our race, from whom a mysterious 
providence withholds entirely the rational faculty. We 
have no doubt that the lowest degree of intellect, where 
the heart is in a proper state, will enable its possessor to 
believe the gospel. We are sensible, however, that the 
rejecters of this gospel, will smile at our simplicity in pre- 
suming that they would be likely to excuse their unbelief 
on the ground of mental imbecility. We have not to 
learn, that very different is the estimate which they form 
of their own powers, and that they are exceedingly prone 
to consider their lack of faith as a consequence, and, in- 
deed, one of the best evidences of their great superiority. 
Brethren, we need not detain you any longer on this 
point. We have said enough to convince you (if you are 
at all open to conviction) that the rejection of the gospel 
is highly criminal. — We proceed to remark, that its cri- 
minality is aggravated by the circumstance, that the 
schemes substituted in the room of the Christian system, 
are not such as the attributes of God, and the condition of 
man demand. In the language of our text, they are 
" cisterns, br oken cisterns, that can hold no water." 



148 SERMON VIII. 

It would be impossible, on this occasion, to examine in 
detail the various religious schemes adopted, either spe- 
culatively or practically, by those who reject the gospel 
of the Son of God. We shall confine our strictures to 
one leading principle, which appears to pervade all these 
schemes, and in which their error essentially consists. 
The grand objection to Christianity, on the part of those 
who withhold from it the homage of their cordial belief, 
is, that it represents the Deity as a being, whose purity 
and justice are such, that he cannot look upon any degree 
of sin with the least allowance — whose moral government 
is so constituted, as to render final misery the inevitable 
result of all unexpiated transgression. The generality of 
men do not like this scriptural view of the divine charac- 
ter. They prefer to contemplate God as a being whose 
sole attribute is mercy. They take it for granted, that 
there is ample resource for the vilest and most obdurate 
offenders, in the predominant and unlimited benevolence 
of his nature. They conceive, that their own ultimate 
happiness is secure, no matter what may be the course of 
conduct which they pursue on earth. Or, if they do not 
go quite the length of this monstrous supposition, they 
imagine that their Maker will condescend to overlook 
their occasional aberrations from rectitude, provided their 
general deportment be as correct as the imperfections of 
their present state will readily permit. They may not 
be disposed to contend in theory, that their virtues are 
sufficient to atone for their casual failings, as they would 
mildly denominate their vices ; but they act as if they 
entertained some such opinion as this: and we hold, that 
a man's conduct is a better interpreter of his creed, than 
any profession which he may make. 

It may be assumed, then, that the practical rejecters of 
the gospel, rely for acceptance with God, either wholly 



sermon vm. 149 

or chiefly, on vague notions which they have embraced 
respecting the benevolence of his nature. The Deity of 
the Bible is too stern and vindictive for their taste. They 
would rather contemplate the Creator of the universe as 
a being who is all goodness, and who has determined to 
render his creatures, whether virtuous or vicious, ulti- 
mately happy. They sometimes afifect quite an edifying 
strain of discourse, and tell us, that they do not approve 
the Christian system, because it makes too direct and 
strong an appeal to the selfish fears of the human heart — 
because it aims to influence the conduct, and form the 
character of man, as much by threatenings of punishment 
as by promises of reward. Their views, in one respect 
at least, coincide with those expressed by a female fa- 
natic, whom a certain bishop is said to have met with fire 
in one of her hands, and water in the other. He asked 
her what was the import of those symbols. Her reply 
was, "My purpose is, with fire to burn paradise, and 
with water to quench the flames of hell, that men may 
serve God without the incentives of hope and fear, and 
purely for the love of God." " But this good woman 
(observes the writer from whom we have taken the story) 
began at the wrong end. The love of God is not pro- 
duced in us after we have contracted evil habits, till God 
with his fan in his hand, hath thoroughly purged the 
floor — till he hath cast out the devils, and swept the house 
with the instrument of hope and fear, and with the 
achievements and efficacy of mercies and judgments." 

Far be it from us to detract from the benevolence of 
Deity. God forbid that we should be induced, in our 
zeal to expose the insufficiency and the futility of the re- 
ligious systems substituted in the room of the gospel, to 
advance a sentiment or utter a single syllable derogatory 
to the divine goodness! The gospel itself teaches us that 

17 



150 



SERMON VII. 



" God is love," and the plan of redemption which it un- 
folds, is a most sublime and glorious display of benignity 
and mercy, on the part of the Father who gave his Son, 
and of the Son who voluntarily shed his blood, for the 
expiation of human guilt. In fact, our admiration for the 
Christian system arises chiefly from the circumstance, 
that it diffuses a brighter and more attractive lustre over 
the amiable perfections of the Godhead, than any other 
scheme which has yet been presented to mankind. It 
exhibits Jehovah as looking with the tenderest emotions 
on his fallen creatures — as employing all the resources 
of his matchless wisdom in the contrivance of a method 
for their rescue — as consenting to sacrifice his only-begot- 
ten and well-beloved Son for the accomplishment of the 
benign object which he had in view — as sending forth his 
Spirit to co-operate in the furtherance of such object — as 
devising a system of means through which he might make 
known to men the expedient invented for their relief, 
and urge them to the acceptance of the benefits provided 
for them — as manifesting the utmost forbearance towards 
those who neglect or despise these means, and at last con- 
signing them to misery, only when they have become so 
hardened, that there is no longer any possibility of their 
amelioration. Yes, when we contemplate these prominent 
features of the gospel, we are prepared to say, that it 
spreads a moral beauty around the character of Deity, far 
transcending any with which the speculations of philoso- 
phers have been able to invest the divine nature. 

But while we entertain the most exalted ideas of the 
benevolence of God, we cannot admit, that he is a being 
whose general and uncovenanted mercy affords a safe 
ground of confidence to the violators of his law. We 
cannot believe, that his goodness is of such a kind as to 
render him indifferent to the distinctions of moral charac- 



SERMON VIII. 151 

ter among men. We should presume, that in him justice 
is an attribute as essential as clemency. The unsophis- 
ticated deductions of reason would lead to this conclusion. 
And when we look abroad upon the works of nature, we 
think that we behold a numerous and various class of 
facts, from which we may infer, that the Governor of the 
universe can inflict misery, as well as confer happiness. 
What means the volcano which emits its liquid tire, and 
dosolates a city in an instant? What means the pesti- 
lence that walketh in darkness, and what the destruction 
that wasteth at noon-day? What mean the whirlwind 
and the storm, that level with the dust the loftiest and 
firmest habitations of man, leaving mau himself, the in- 
habitant, a part of the ruins ? Tell us, soft and senti- 
mental religionist, are these the doings of a God, whose 
only attribute is mercy, and who cannot, under any cir- 
cumstances, be provoked to punish the guilty? It may 
be replied, that they are events which, though calamitous 
for a season, may contribute, in the end, to subserve the 
purposes of infinite benevolence. We admit the correctness 
of the suggestion. But we cannot see, that it furnishes 
any argument agaiust the justice of Deity for which we 
are now contending. We can cheerfully subscribe to the 
doctrine of the poet, who, contemplating the universe as a 
stupendous whole, pronounces, 

"All discord harmony not understood, 
All partial evil universal good." 

But we must protest against the inference which some 
would deduce from this doctrine. Let us not suppose, 
that because God renders evil the means of producing 
eventual good, such evil is not, in any instance, to be re- 
garded as an expression of the Divine displeasure against 
sin ; or, in other words, as the penal consequence of trans- 
gression. The misery which overtakes the guilty, may 



152 SERMON VIII. 

be instrumental in swelling the aggregate amount of gen- 
eral happiness in the universe. And yet this circumstance, 
while it tends illustriously to display the wisdom and the 
benignity of the Most High, is surely no evidence, that 
the amiable perfections which belong to his nature, may 
not co- exist in harmony with others of a sterner character. 
The moral government which he exercises over this 
world, so far as we can trace its operations and ascertain 
its principles, indicates a disposition to punish vice. Of 
the future state reason has no knowledge beyond the im- 
perfect conjectures which the argument from analogy af- 
fords. These conjectures fully coincide with present 
observation, and thus leave upon the mind the impression, 
that justice, no less than goodness, has its influence in the 
divide administration. 

Again, if the character of God, as delineated on the 
works of nature, does not correspond with what the 
rejecters of the gospel imagine, it is still more emphati- 
cally certain, that the character of God, as exhibited in 
his own Word, is totally at variance with the views 
which they entertain. The Deity of the Bible is a being 
whose benevolence does not absorb all his other perfec- 
tions, but in whom mercy and justice, goodness and se- 
verity, are awfully and gloriously combined. He is full 
of compassion for the miserable, and of forbearance to- 
wards the disobedient. And yet he " will by no means 
clear the guilty." The history of his dealings with man, 
recorded in the sacred volume, furnishes the amplest evi- 
dence, that while he desires the happiness of our race, 
and " has no pleasure in the death of the wicked," he ut- 
terly abhors sin, and cannot do other than punish the sin- 
ner. Behold the expulsion of our first parents from the 
garden which they had profaned by their disobedience. 
Behold the antediluvian world rendered desolate for the 



SERMON VIII. 153 

guilt of its inhabitants. Behold the cities of the plain 
consumed by fire from heaven, because ten righteous per- 
sons could not be found within their walls. Behold the 
signal disasters inflicted, at different periods, upon the 
Jews for their idolatry. Do not these, and numberless 
facts of a similar kind, with which we are all familiar, 
abundantly demonstrate, that they who rely for acceptance 
with Jehovah, on the general benevolence of his nature, 
are " hewing out for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, 
that can hold no water?" 

Upon the whole, the gospel presents you, dear hearers, 
with the only secure basis on which to rear your hopes 
for eternity. It teaches you, that the Deity who is just, 
as well as good, has devised a plan by which he can ex- 
ercise his goodness towards our fallen race, without doing 
violence to his justice. To use its own language, than 
which none could be more expressive, it shows us how 
u God can be just, and yet the justifier of him that be- 
lieveth in Jesus." This wonderful contrivance of Hea- 
ven for the benefit of earth, has removed every obstacle 
to the display of the divine benignity. It has opened a 
fountain broad and deep and full, from which the living 
waters of salvation may be dispensed, without money and 
without price, to perishing men. — Blessed, thrice blessed, 
is he who repairs to this fountain ! Wretched beyond ex- 
pression is he who forsakes it ! 

The passage of Scripture to which we have now en- 
deavoured to direct your attention, ought to awaken the 
deepest anxiety in the bosom of every individual who is 
conscious that he has not humbly submitted to the terms 
of the gospel. It has been shown that his conduct is cri- 
minal in a very high degree. The inhabitants of heaven 
are here called upon to behold it with amazement and 
consternation. And what offence, we would ask, can be 



154 SERMON VIII. 

greater than that of rejecting blessings which God has 
purchased for mankind, by the mysterious sacrifice of his 
own Son ? Let us suppose that a culprit has been con- 
demned to death, and that at the very moment when all 
things are in readiness for his execution, he is informed 
of a plan devised for his rescue — a plan, the accomplish- 
ment of which was attended with vast expense to the dis- 
penser of pardon, but of which the dying man may at 
once avail himself, on certain conditions reasonable and 
easy to be complied with. Would we not think it the 
extreme of fatuity in such a culprit to refuse the boon of 
life thus tendered to his acceptance? Would we not 
look upon his refusal as an indignity to the chief magis- 
trate who had so kindly interposed for his relief? And 
yet this imaginary case affords only a faint emblem of the 
folly and the guilt of him who neglects the great salva- 
tion provided in the gospel, and resolves to risk his eter- 
nal destiny upon views of the divine character and of 
human duty, for which he has no higher sanction than 
the dictates of his own erring reason. 

Permit us, dear hearers, to urge upon you, one and all, 
the prompt and cordial acceptance of the blessings prof- 
fered in this gospel, which it is our business to preach. 
Believe us, Christianity is the only system of faith that 
can administer effectual solace under the severe trials of 
life. And it is the only system which can sustain and 
comfort you in the terrific hour of death. Ah ! you will 
then find, that those vague impressions of the divine be- 
nevolence, on which you now so confidently rest, will not 
do to die by — will not meet the exigences of the depart- 
ing spirit. We are sure, impenitent sinner, that when 
you are trembling on the brink of the eternal world, you 
will wish that you had received and obeyed the gospel of 
the Son of God — you will see the emptiness of those cis- 



SERMON IX. 155 

terns which you had hewed out for yourself, and bitterly 
regret that ever you forsook the fountain of living waters. 
We entreat you, then, rejecters of our gospel, to pause 
and reflect upon the fearful consequences of your present 
career. Certain and overwhelming destruction lies at a 
short distance before you. The only opportunity of es- 
cape is rapidly passing away. Yes, the day of salvation 
flies apace. The night, in which no man can work, must 
soon set in. A few more months or years like the past, 
will land you in the world of wo. — But what are we say- 
ing? The sun may not go down before the angels of 
heaven, who would gladly have celebrated your conver- 
sion, shall take up their harps to sound the dirge of your 
perdition — and will you, can you, dear hearers, still re- 
solve to forsake " the fountain of living waters ?" We 
trust not. Come, then, to this fountain, and partake of 
its contents. O! come without delay, and drink, and 
live for ever. 



SERMON IX. 

JOHN HI. 36. (Last Clause.) 

" He that believeth not the Son, shall not see life? but the wrath of God 

abideth on him." 

Man, as a moral agent, always acts in the view, and 
under the influence of motives. It is through the instru- 
mentality of these, that his character and conduct are 
operated on by the God who made him. 

The system of truths exhibited in the Bible, is simply 
a scheme of motives, devised by infinite wisdom and good- 



156 SERMON IX. 

ness, with a view to influence the conduct of men as reli- 
gious beings. We entirely mistake the nature and design 
of God's revelation, if we contemplate it in any other light 
than this. All the facts related — all the doctrines taught 
— all the promises of good, and threatenings of evil, con- 
tained in the inspired record, — are neither more nor less 
than so many motives, which our Creator has been 
pleased to present to our consideration, as the means of 
reclaiming us from sin and consequent misery. 

Of these motives, one of the most solemn and im- 
pressive, is furnished in the text which we have just read 
to you. It is here declared, in reference to any and 
every one who does not believe on Christ, that he " shall 
not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." 

We shall not take up your time to-day with any criti- 
cal and explanatory remarks on the phraseology of the 
text. We presume that you are all sufficiently conversant 
with the general scope of doctrine and style of diction 
that prevail in the New Testament, to comprehend the 
proposition involved in this passage. You are aware 
that faith in the Son of God is the grand condition on 
which the blessings of the gospel are tendered to human 
acceptance, and can therefore be at no loss in perceiving, 
that what our divine Lord here teaches us is briefly this, 
— that the man who has not faith, must be miserable for 
ever. 

The text before us, then, might be considered as pre- 
senting two prominent topics of reflection ; first, the im- 
portance of faith, and second, the perpetuity of future 
suffering. We shall confine our remarks this morning to 
the latter of these topics ; and we ask your candid and 
serious attention, while we undertake, for a few minutes, 
to show that the punishment which God has denounced 
in his word, against all who persist in unbelief, shall be 



SERMON IX. 157 

absolutely interminable in its duration. It affords us no sort 
of pleasure, dear hearers, to bring forward and dwell upon 
a subject of this description. But we should be awfully 
delinquent in faithfulness to the Master by whose authority 
we stand before you, did we forbear to urge the most 
solemn and cogent of those motives to a virtuous and 
pious life, which he has placed at the disposal of his 
ministering servants. Yes, however grating to our sen- 
sibilities may be the thought, that any of our fellow beings, 
and particularly, that any of our personal friends — any of 
the men and women whom we esteem and love on earth 
— are destined to dwell with devouring flames, and lie 
down in everlasting burnings, it is still our duty to as- 
sert, with distinctness and emphasis, a truth which 
God, for the most important, and there would be no in- 
congruity in adding, the most benevolent purpose, has 
thought proper to disclose. 

It is not to be wondered at, that this truth has been so 
often and so strenuously denied. The sinner is naturally 
reluctant to admit, that the course which he delights to 
pursue, shall terminate in endless wo. He attempts to 
silence and to soothe his conscience in some such way as 
this : "All the harm," says he, " that I ever do, is done 
to myself. The Being who formed me can sustain no 
real injury by my aberratious from the line of strict rec- 
titude. He is merciful and indulgent in his disposition. 
He surely cannot be so cruel as to render me miserable 
for ever, simply for yielding to the impulse of passions 
which he himself has implanted in my nature. He must 
desire the happiness of all his creatures, and what he de- 
sires he certainly will be able, in the end, to accomplish." 

Thus it is that the wicked endeavour to persuade them- 
selves that the notion of perpetual sufferings is a mere 
fable, invented to terrify weak and superstitious minds. 

IS 



158 1 SERMON IX. 

It is, moreover, a lamentable fact, that even good men, 
distinguished less for strength of intellect than for sua- 
vity of disposition, have been led, in some instances, to 
embrace the doctrine which supposes, that all the parta- 
kers of our common nature shall be raised ultimately to 
a state of perfect and unending bliss. 

There are two modifications of this doctrine, each of 
which has its advocates. Some imagine, that there is no 
punishment at all in the future world ; while others admit, 
that the wicked are to be punished, for a limited period, 
after death, and restored, through the medium of such penal 
discipline, to the favour and enjoyment of their Maker. 

The former of these schemes — that which supposes 
that there is no punishment whatever in the future world 
— has been defended with particular diligence, and propa- 
gated with untiring zeal, in many sections of our own coun- 
try, during the last fifteen or twenty years. The modern 
asserter of universal salvation generally adopts this view 
of the subject. The judgment, he contends, is past al- 
ready, and the penal effects of sin consist wholly in the 
afflictions incident to our present state. We deem it un- 
necessary to employ much time in pointing out the absur- 
dity of such a doctrine as that which we have now stated. 
Indeed, we are at a loss to conceive how any sensible 
and candid observer of human life can seriously maintain, 
that this world is a state of retribution. What ! is it a fact, 
that men are happy or miserable here, precisely in pro- 
portion to their deserts ? We leave it to the common 
sense, and the common honesty of every individual in this 
assembly to answer the question. — Besides, we should 
really like to know how death, which, so far as we can 
understand it, is merely a dissolution of the union that 
had subsisted between the body and soul, can produce an 
essential change in the moral character of men ; and with- 



SERMON IX. 159 

out such a change we may confidently pronounce, that not 
a few of those who die must be more or less unhappy. 
There is nothing in the ordinary circumstances under 
which we pass from the present to a future condition of 
being, to rectify the sentiments and feelings which we have 
here cherished, and to alter the habits which we have here 
formed. It is not, therefore, to be presumed, that death 
ushers all men, no matter what may have been their cha- 
racter and conduct in this world, into a state of perfect 
purity and consummate felicity. We may venture to af- 
firm, that, so long as the principles of the divine govern- 
ment remain what they are — so long as God himself con- 
tinues what he is — a bad man cannot be happy, in the 
proper sense of the term. And we repeat it, that the 
change which death induces in the mode of our existence, 
is not a moral process by which a bad man is rendered 
good. — And, after all, is there not something incongruous 
— something revolting to our instinctive conceptions of 
rectitude and fitness — in the idea, that the virtuous and 
the vicious — the benefactors of their race, and those who 
have lived only to disgrace and injure society — shall be- 
come alike the participants of joy, immediately on their 
departure hence? One individual, for example, may die 
in the very act of praising his Maker, or rendering an im- 
portant service to a fellow being, while another may close 
his career, uttering curses on the God who made him, or 
inflicting the deepest injury on some member of the com- 
munity to which he belonged. And will any one, in 
moments of sober and honest reflection, imagine, that both 
these persons enter into the same state of felicity ? — We 
might further insist on the pernicious practical tendency 
of the doctrine which we oppose. It requires no profound 
acquaintance with human nature to discern, that this 
doctrine is calculated to destroy every incentive to virtue, 



150 SERMON IX. 

and, consequently, to exert an influence incalculably 
deleterious to social order and happiness. In fact, we 
should be loth to repose the least confidence in a man who 
holds, that every human being passes, at death, into a 
condition of high and interminable enjoyment. A judicious 
moralist is reported to have once said to a lady who was 
speaking of the infidel principles entertained by a certain 
person with whom she was on intimate terms — " Madam, 
if your friend has no belief in a future state, I can only 
advise you, when he leaves you, to count your spoons." 
How much more appropriate would be this advice, in re- 
lation to one who professes to believe, not that thieves, as 
well as adulterers and murderers, are to be annihilated 
when they die — but that thieves, as well as adulterers 
and murderers, are to be unspeakably and eternally 
blessed beyond the grave! 

Brethren, we feel as if we had not yet spoken in terms 
sufficiently strong, of the fatal consequences likely to re- 
sult from this doctrine. We have never heard, nor can 
we conceive, of any sentiment half so dangerous. Its 
general prevalence, as an article of the popular creed, 
would at once tear up society by the roots. The infidel 
scheme of annihilation, which wrought such horrors dur- 
ing the French revolution, is not near so bad. You had 
better tell men that the soul perishes with the body, than 
that future felicity shall be the certain and immediate 
portion of all who die. Yes, it were far safer to label 
upon the tomb, "Death is an eternal sleep," than to 
write over it, "Death is the broad gate to heaven." There 
is something in the thought of utter extinction repugnant 
to the feelings even of the most depraved, and they em- 
brace it only as a less disagreeable alternative than the 
idea of future misery. The soul "shrinks back upon 
itself, and startles at destruction." But the promise of 



SERMON IX. 161 

instant and interminable happiness, addresses itself to all 
the instinctive sympathies of the human being, and is 
therefore calculated to become the most fatal instrument 
that diabolical ingenuity ever devised for the ruin of our 
erring race. — We rejoice that there is a native and an un- 
conquerable energy in conscience, which, in most cases, 
will impair the influence of this pestilent doctrine — that 
every man carries that within his bosom, which will 
sometimes compel him, in the midst of business and of 
pleasure, to fear the retributive judgments of his Maker. 
And we thank God, that he has taught us with so much 
perspicuity in his word, that he will not fail to dis- 
tinguish, after death, between them that serve him, and 
them that serve him not — that it will be far from him, as 
the Judge of all the earth, to confound the righteous and 
the wicked. 

The second modification of the doctrine of universal 
salvation, is by far the more plausible, and we are utterly 
astonished that any should have abandoned it for the one 
which we have just mentioned. According to this scheme, 
the wicked are to endure some punishment in the future 
world, but punishment limited in duration, and designed 
to prepare them for ultimate felicity. — Let us next inquire 
how far such a view of the subject is sustained by the 
dictates of reason, and the representations of Scripture. 

The asserters of universal salvation, have invariably 
founded their system on mistaken notions relative to the 
divine benevolence. They have entirely lost sight of the 
justice of Deity — an attribute certainly not less essential 
to the perfection of his nature than goodness. Now, there 
is one remarkable passage in the Bible, which, had it 
been duly attended to, would have been enough to pre- 
vent any fallacious conceptions with regard to a subject 
of such vast importance. When Jehovah passed before 



162 SERMON IX. 

Moses on Sinai, he proclaimed himself — " the Lord, the 
Lord God merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abun- 
dant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, 
forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin" — but, lest this 
detail of the lovely attributes of God should induce us to 
imagine that he is a Being whose administration is carried 
on irrespective of justice, it is added in the very same sen- 
tence — "and that will by no means clear the guilty, 
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, 
unto the third and fourth generation." Hence we learn 
that mercy can never be extended, on the part of God, to 
the violators of his law, in a manner derogatory to the 
sacred and imperious claims of justice. Those claims 
must, in every instance, be fully and rigidly satisfied. 
The great Ruler of the universe cannot do other than 
right. The individual who founds his expectations of 
future felicity, on vague notions of the divine benevo- 
lence, trusts to an unstable and a treacherous basis, which 
may one day sink from beneath him, like the sudden and 
tremendous fall of an Alpine avalanche. 

In contending for the perpetuity of future suffering, we 
shall not take the ground which many have taken, that 
sin is an infinite evil, and therefore deserves infinite pun- 
ishment. Indeed, it appears to us rather unfortunate, 
that such a ground should ever have been assumed by 
those who have combated the doctrine of universal sal- 
vation. We shall not, however, detain you with a dis- 
cussion of this intricate subject. We are afraid that we 
could not enter on a discussion of this kind, without ne- 
glecting the counsel of the apostle, who would have us to 
" avoid foolish questions." 

The advocates of universal salvation, who admit that 
any punishment awaits the wicked in a future state, con- 
tend that such punishment will be wholly of a corrective 



SERMON IX. 163 

kind — that is, designed gradually to ameliorate the con- 
demned sinner, and lead him to repentance and to happi- 
ness. But the Scriptures, in our apprehension, exhibit a dif- 
ferent view of this subject. They seem to us to represent the 
sufferings of the finally impenitent as the effect of the di- 
vine displeasure against transgression — a display of jus- 
tice on the part of the august Sovereign of the universe. 
" Vengeance is mine ; I will repay, saith the Lord." In 
another passage, Jehovah exclaims, " If I whet my glit- 
tering sword, and my hand take hold on judgment, I will 
render vengeance to mine enemies, and reward them that 
hate me." Now, we would inquire, whether these, and 
similar passages in which we read of God's pouring out 
his fury on his adversaries, do not clearly imply, that the 
infliction of vindictive punishment is by no means incon- 
sistent with the benignity of the divine perfections ? 

But more than this. — We cannot conceive, that there is 
any thing in the nature of punishment which has a ten- 
dency to lead its subject to sincere and effectual peni- 
tence. We can easily imagine, that torments may cause 
the sinner to dread and to hate the Being from whose 
hand they proceed. But we see not how they can beget 
in his soul genuine and pungent contrition for his offences. 
This kind of repentance is described in the inspired re- 
cord as resulting from the goodness, not the vengeance, of 
the Lord. What human father ever reclaimed an erring 
son by penal discipline alone ? Kindness and severity 
judiciously combined, may have a salutary effect. But 
mere and unmitigated chastisement will only tend to 
break down the spirit of a child, to extinguish the sense 
of shame in his bosom, and thus to promote his ruin, in- 
stead of his reform. And so, in the future world, the 
malignity and exasperation of the sufferer must increase 
in a direct ratio with the amount and intensity of the woes 
which are heaped upon him. 



164 SERMON IX. 

The universalist contends, that a portion of our race 
are to be recovered from sin and misery, through the in- 
strumentality of penal discipline in the future world. 
Now, it is at least remarkable, that the language of the 
New Testament in reference to human salvation, seems 
to be wholly unaccommodated to the peculiar circumstan- 
ces of such individuals. Thus, we read, " By grace are 
ye saved through faith f* but, if our memory serves us, 
there is no passage which says, " By severity are ye saved 
through suffering." Again, the apostle writes, " Christ 
hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made 
a curse for us;" but he no where writes, unless we are 
much mistaken, " Christ hath imposed on us the curse of 
the law, intending to cast us down to hell for a season 
when we die." The same apostle thus expresses himself, 
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings 
in heavenly places in Christ;" but he does not exclaim, 
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, who will curse us with all spiritual cursings in 
infernal places in Christ, that we may at last be happy." 
Those who shall be elevated to honour and felicity, 
without passing through the ordeal of hell, may properly 
sing, " Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our 
sins in his own blood, be glory and dominion for ever and 
ever." But the ransomed prisoners of Tophet will have 
to raise a very different song throughout eternity. Their 
strains, we should suppose— for the Scriptures really 
leave us to conjecture on the subject — will be somewhat 
in this style: "Unto him that damned us, and purified 
us from our sins, in the devouring fire of the infernal pit, 
be glory and dominion for ever and ever." — Brethren, we 
leave you to pursue this argument for yourselves, and we 
venture to predict, that the farther you advance, the more 



SERMON IX. 1Q5 

decided and irresistible will be your conviction, that there 
is but one method of salvation, and that is, by the grace 
of God, through the atoning death of his Son, and the 
sanctifying agency of his Spirit. 

There has been not a little discussion in respect to the 
Hebrew and Greek terms, which, in the common transla- 
tion of the Bible, are rendered everlasting, eternal, and 
for ever. It has been strenuously maintained, that these 
words do not express duration absolutely perpetual. That 
they are sometimes applied to objects whose being is 
limited and transitory, is the basis of the Universalist's 
argument. Thus we read of " everlasting hills ;" and so 
we are told that "the earth abideth for ever," and that 
the slave, who, as a token of his willingness to continue 
in servitude, submitted his ears to the awl of his Jewish 
master, became thereby bound to serve him " for ever." 

Now, we shall at once concede, that the original terms 
for w everlasting," " eternal," and " for ever," do not al- 
ways express duration strictly interminable. Neither do 
the English words. The poet, for instance, speaks of 
the mountain whose summit "is white with eternal snows." 
And what does he mean, when he thus speaks? Why 
simply this, that the snow, instead of disappearing before 
the suns of summer, continues throughout the entire year. 
In like manner, by the " everlasting hills," of which men- 
tion is made in the Bible, we are to understand hills 
whose existence is co-extensive with that of the globe on 
which they are erected. They, as well as the snow, are 
styled " everlasting," because they are to last as long as 
it is possible, in the nature of things, that they should last. 

But although the Hebrew and Greek terms for " ever- 
lasting," " eternal," and " for ever," are sometimes used 
in reference to objects of limited existence, they are also 
employed, in numerous cases, to express duration that 

19 



166 SERMON IX. 

can never come to a close. For example, these epithets 
are applied to the being of the Deity himself. Thus, we 
read, that "Abraham planted a grove in Beer-sheba, 
and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlast- 
ing God." Again, " Hast thou not known, hast thou not 
heard, that the everlasting God, the Creator of the 
ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?" More- 
over, Jehovah is styled, " the king eternal, immortal, 
and invisible." The same terms are likewise used to 
denote the perpetuity of future blessedness. Thus it is 
said, "And these (the wicked) shall go away into ever- 
lasting punishment, but the righteous into life eter- 
nal." Now on this passage it is particularly worthy of 
remark, that the Greek terms rendered by the two English 
words, " everlasting" and " eternal," are one and the 
same. Hence we must infer, that the happiness of hea- 
ven, and the misery of hell — the joys of the redeemed, 
and the agonies of the lost — are to continue throughout 
equal periods of time. It appears to us that there is no 
avoiding this conclusion. 

Let us, however, consent to waive, for the sake of ar- 
gument, all those passages of Scripture in which the terms 
in question occur, and then see if we cannot find other 
passages, to which no ambiguity can possibly be imputed. 
And first, we might insist on our present text — " He that 
belie vet h not the Son, shall not see life; but the wrath of 
God abideth on him." This solemn declaration of 
Christ, the faithful and true Witness, certainly implies 
that the punishment of unbelief is to be perpetual. The 
New Testament, too, exhibits negative language on the 
subject of future sufferings, wholly incompatible with the 
idea that such sufferings shall ever end. Thus the Sa- 
viour informs us, that the wicked shall be consigned to 
hell, " where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not 



SERMON IX. 167 

quenched." He tells us also, that when the Proprietor 
of the universe shall, at the last day, send forth his 
reapers, for the purpose of collecting his harvest, "He 
will gather his wheat into the garner, and will burn the 
chaff with unquenchable fire." The Universalist, it 
will be observed, understands by "unquenchable fire," in 
this place, fire that is to be quenched. Again, "Not 
every one (exclaimed the Redeemer) that saith unto me, 
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven." 
On another occasion, we find him thus addressing the Jews 
— " Ye shall die in your sins, and whither I go ye can- 
not come." The Son of God likewise speaks of some, 
" whose end is to be burned." Such an expression, it 
has been well observed, clearly denotes, that the final 
condition of the unhappy individuals alluded to, is to be 
a state of burning. Moreover, we read, that after the 
general judgment it will be said, " He that is unjust, let 
him be unjust still ; and he that is filthy, let him be 
filthy still." This language, naturally interpreted, con- 
veys the idea, that a period is approaching, when deli- 
very from the guilt, and recovery from the pollution, of 
sin, shall be no longer possible. Of course it inculcates 
the perpetuity of future misery. 

We come now to consider one of the most plausible of 
the arguments by which the doctrine of universal salva- 
tion has been defended. It has been said, that the for- 
giveness of men by God, after the judgment, may be 
compared to the pardon of criminals who have been tried, 
and found guilty of violating some human law. The 
power of conferring such pardon, we know, is generally 
vested in the executive departments of earthly govern- 
ments. And why, it has been asked, may we not sup- 
pose that a similar prerogative belongs to the supreme 
Ruler of the universe? 



KJ3 SERMON IX. 

In entering on the consideration of this argument, we 
may take the opportunity to say, that not a few en- 
lightened and benevolent men have doubted the expe- 
diency of giving to any magistrate the power of staying 
the execution of law against a convicted malefactor. It 
would certainly be better for society, if such a power 
were never exercised, unless in cases of a very extraor- 
dinary kind. When it is known that the demands of 
justice are inexorable — that there is no possibility of es- 
cape from the penalty of transgression — a restraint is 
imposed on the vicious portion of mankind, which, under 
different circumstances, cannot exist. 

With this preliminary observation, we shall go on to 
show that there is far less force in the argument which 
we have mentioned, than most persons would at first 
imagine. 

Why is it that the power of pardon is lodged with the 
executive of human governments? We answer, in order 
to remedy the imperfections of laws, which cannot be 
adapted to the circumstances of every particular case that 
may occur ; or, with a view to provide for sudden and 
extraordinary emergencies. The exercise of this power 
is, indeed, discretionary with the chief magistrate. But 
it is always presumed that he will not, except for what 
he deems good and sufficient reasons, extend his lenity 
to the criminal who has been regularly tried, and justly 
convicted. If he should, without such reasons, and from 
a mere impulse of sympathy, arrest the execution of a 
violated law, he betrays a degree of weakness unbefitting 
his elevated and responsible station, and abuses the 
authority with which he is clothed. 

Let us, then, examine for a single moment, the various 
cases in which the pardon of an offender in human so- 
ciety may appear adviseable, and then inquire whether 
similar cases can occur in the divine government. 



SERMON IX. |69 

First, laws framed by short-sighted and fallible men, 
must always be more or less imperfect. If, when they 
were enacted, they seemed expedient, and it was hoped 
that their operation would be salutary, yet experience 
may not realize the anticipation. In an emergency of 
this kind, the chief magistrate might think it his duty to 
exercise the prerogative of clemency with which he is in- 
vested. But no such case, it is very certain, can present 
itself in the government of God. His laws are the offspring 
of infinite wisdom. They were enacted by One to whom 
the future is as clearly and fully known as the past. 

Again, the executive of human government may be in- 
duced to exercise the prerogative of pardon, for reasons 
like the following, viz. The trial of the person condemn- 
ed may have been marked by some illegality or infor- 
mality ; the witnesses may not have been competent or 
credible; the judges may have been hasty and incorrect 
in their decisions ; popular prejudice may have exerted an 
undue influence on the jury ; or, circumstances may have 
been brought to light, after the close of the trial, to palliate 
the guilt of the accused, or even to furnish strong pre- 
sumption of his innocence. But every one must at once 
discern, that no such reasons for the pardon of condemned 
sinners, can be relevant in the perfect government of that 
God, who is intimately acquainted with the entire moral 
history of every human being. 

A third case may be imagined, in which the executive 
might think proper to interpose his prerogative of forgive- 
ness. The execution of the laws may be attended with 
danger to the community. The criminal may be connected 
with families of wealth and influence, and his friends, 
rising up in his behalf, may demand his pardon. His 
fate may be so linked with the interests and the hopes of 
a formidable faction, as to render his release from justice 



170 SERMON IX. jg\ 

a measure of political expediency. But is there, we ask, 
a possibility of the like emergency occurring to hinder 
the execution of the divine laws? Tell us, has God any 
thing to dread from the resentment of friends, or the vio- 
lence of party feelings, when he signs the death-warrant 
of a convicted offender? Surely not. His power is infinite. 
Yes, and were millions upon millions of sinners through- 
out the universe to combine, and present themselves, 
in haughty and menacing array, before his throne, de- 
manding the forgiveness of some brother culprit, he would 
only laugh at their puny insolence, and reiterate with ten- 
fold sternness and vehemence, his mandate, "Let justice 
have its course." 

But we need pursue this subject no farther at present. 
Enough, it may be presumed, has been said to convince 
you all, that in respect to the extension of pardon to con- 
demned criminals, no analogy can be conceived to subsist 
between human governments and the divine government. 

A further, and, we think, a decided objection to the 
doctrine of universal salvation, arises from its injurious 
tendency as a practical principle. What possible good, 
we should like to know, can result to men as individual 
or social beings, from this doctrine ? Is it calculated to 
render them better, or worse ? Will it, in any way, pro- 
mote the cause of virtue, or contribute to the advance- 
ment of piety ? Who can expect, that those who hope 
ultimately to enjoy the favour of the supreme Being, no 
matter what may be their character and conduct on earth, 
will be likely to abandon the pursuits of sin, and lead an 
upright, a temperate and a devout life ? Is it not much 
more probable — much more consonant with the usual or- 
der of things — that men, relieved from the apprehension 
of endless wo, as the consequence of their transgressions, 
will give themselves up to the dominion of their passions, 



SERMON IX. 17 £ 

determined not to forego present indulgence on account 
of some years of future misery ? And is it not an unde- 
niable fact, that the believers — yes, and with few excep- 
tions, the preachers — of universal salvation, generally ex- 
hibit a tenour of deportment little conformable to the pre- 
cepts and the spirit of the New Testament? They act 
out their principles, and dreading no punishment hereaf- 
ter, or, at any rate, punishment, which compared to a 
succeeding eternity of bliss, does not deserve the name, 
they are prepared to assume, as the polar star of their 
earthly career, the Epicurean maxim, " Let us live while 
we live." No sensible man, not absolutely lost to vir- 
tue, would wish his wife, his daughter, or his son to be 
an universalist. 

We close our argument with one more brief remark. 
Of the two doctrines — that which asserts, and that which 
denies, the eternity of future punishment — one must ne- 
cessarily be erroneous. The schemes are directly op- 
posed, and, of course, both cannot be true. Allow us, 
then, to put the question, Which of these opinions is 
the safer one ? To believe in the perpetuity of future 
suffering, even should the tenet be unfounded, can be at- 
tended, so far as we see, with no disastrous consequen- 
ces. But to believe in universal salvation, and, on this 
ground, neglect the means of securing an interest in 
Christ, may undo the human soul for ever ! 

Brethren, we must not leave you to-day, without dis- 
tinctly reminding you, that it is far from being enough to 
have a theoretical conviction of the truth on which we 
have now insisted. We know not, that any of you are 
speculative universalists. But we may be sure, that some 
of you are practical universalists. You may not profess 
to think, that all men eventually shall be saved. But you 
live as if you thought so. Permit us, then, to urge upon 



172 SERMON IX. 

your consciences, the solemn declaration of our Lord in 
this text. He here affirms, in language the clearest and 
most express, that every individual who believes not on 
the Son of God, shall be wretched throughout eternity. 
On such an individual the wrath of Jehovah must abide. 
Each moral agent in this congregation who dies in im- 
penitence and unbelief, must bid, not only a long, but a 
final adieu to peace and happiness. How powerful the 
motive which hence arises to a virtuous and pious life ! 
Some, w T e are aware, pretend, that a religion which 
seeks to impel men to duty, by menaces of endless w r o, 
makes too broad and direct an appeal to the selfishness 
of human nature. But a similar objection lies, in all its 
force, against a religious system which should seek to al- 
lure men to duty simply by promises of imperishable 
felicity. The fact is, that the dread of evil, and the de- 
sire of good, are virtually the same principle. Nor is 
there any impropriety in appealing to this principle, when 
we attempt to enforce the requisitions of the gospel. 
The apostle Paul, " knowing the terrors of the Lord," 
endeavoured to " persuade men." And what he did, let 
no succeeding preacher of the cross hesitate to do. We 
pray you, therefore, dear hearers, to flee from the wrath 
to come, by believing, and that without delay, on the Son 
of God. O ! neglect not this golden opportunity of escape 
from eternal misery. You are now invited to secure an 
interest in Jesus Christ, the only Saviour of sinners. 
Accept the invitation, and you shall be happy for ever. 
Reject the invitation, and you shall not see life, but the 
wrath of God must abide upon you. Such is the fearful 
alternative. We here leave you to your choice. The 
responsibility is your own. Whatever may be the result, 
the justice of Jehovah is clear, and every virtuous intelli- 
gence in the universe shall approve his sentence. 



SERMON X. 

LUKE X. 42. 

" But one thing is needful; and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not 
be taken away from her." 

The occasion which led to the utterance of these words 
on the part of our divine Lord — for they are his — may be 
briefly stated. — As he was going about doing good, he 
arrived at a place not very distant from Jerusalem. This 
was the village of Bethany, about two miles east of the 
sacred city, in which Mary and Martha, and their bro- 
ther Lazarus, resided. From what is to be gathered out 
of the New Testament respecting this interesting family, 
it has been conjectured, that Martha was a widow, with 
whom her brother and sister, both unmarried, lived. An 
intimacy and a mutual attachment seems to have sub- 
sisted between the Saviour and them, and he was more 
than once their visitant and guest. In the instance now 
before us, a circumstance occurred, developing the respec- 
tive characters of the two sisters. Jesus appears to have 
commenced, soon after entering the house, an address to 
those who were present — for numbers always followed 
his footsteps — on the momentous things pertaining to the 
kingdom of God. It was his uniform practice, we know, 
to speak a word in season, as often as the opportunity 
was afforded, to all who were disposed to become his 
auditors. Mary, it would seem, took a seat near to him, and 
listened with profound attention, to the instructive lessons 
that emanated from his lips. In the mean time Mar- 

20 



174 SERMON X. 

tha was deeply immersed in household duties, striving to 
evince her respect and affection for the Messiah, by ex- 
hibiting a sumptuous meal for his entertainment. Thus 
busily employed, her mind was distracted with a variety 
of cares, and she could not help betraying the peculiar 
weakness incident, in such an emergency, even to the 
gentlest female nature. Although in the presence of her 
Redeemer, she was unable to preserve that equanimity 
which is so frequently lost amid the multiplicity of do- 
mestic concerns. Chagrined that Mary sat at ease, and 
did not contribute to lighten her burden, she had so little 
self-command, as to disregard every dictate of propriety, 
and prefer a pitiful complaint about the matter to their 
distinguished Friend. " Lord," said she, " dost thou not 
care, that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her, 
therefore, that she help me." This peevish and highly 
unbecoming remark drew from Jesus a reproof which 
Martha herself, in a cooler interval, must have been con- 
scious was deserved. We are told by the sacred histo- 
rian, that he answering " said unto her, Martha, Martha" 
— this repetition of the name rendered the rebuke which 
it prefaced still more pointed — "thou art careful and 
troubled about many things." Then follows the text : 
" But one thing is needful; and Mary hath chosen that 
good part which shall not be taken away from her." 

The reader of this passage, who follows only his own 
common sense in ascertaining its import — and a better 
guide is seldom to be had — imagines, that he fully under- 
stands its scope and design. He conceives, that Jesus 
here represents religion — the care of the soul — as the one 
thing needful, and further teaches, that this thing, or, in 
other words, the blessings which it confers, shall not be 
taken away from those who make it their deliberate and 
constant choice. But — wonderful to relate — there are 



SERMON X. 175 

those who confidently affirm, that an entirely different 
explanation is to be given of the text. They gravely in- 
form us, that the object of the Saviour, in what he said, 
was merely to excuse Mary from aiding her sister, by 
assuring Martha that he had no desire for so great a va- 
riety of dishes as she was ambitious of preparing, and 
would be perfectly contented with a plain and frugal 
meal, such as could be most easily provided. According 
to the views of these deep-searching expositors, the lan- 
guage of our Lord may be paraphrased in this manner : 
"One dish will be quite enough. I ask for no more. 
Mary has done well in preferring a seat near to me, 
where she may enjoy the benefit of my instructions, to 
uniting with you in the vexatious cares of culinary occu- 
pations. The part which she has chosen, is a wise and 
good one, and shall not be taken away from her. Let 
her therefore sit still, and hear what I am saying." Of 
this exposition, notwithstanding the plausibility with 
which some ingenious writers have endeavoured to invest 
it, we must unhesitatingly assert, that it is truly what the 
judicious and pious Matthew Henry styles it, " a low" 
and "forced construction put upon" the passage. 

The Saviour, then, here teaches us that there is one 
thing which is emphatically needful. What this one 
thing is, may be inferred with sufficient clearness from 
the second clause of the text, where he speaks of Mary's 
having chosen the good part which should not be taken 
away from her. A comparison of the two members of 
the sentence leads to the conclusion, that the "one thing 
needful" is the same with the good part which Mary had 
chosen. Now we have already seen what her choice was. 
She preferred spiritual to temporal concerns. She deem- 
ed it better to sit at the feet of her Lord, and imbibe the 
heavenly lessons which he delivered, than to lose the 



176 SERMON X. 

golden opportunity which his presence afforded, of be- 
coming more "wise unto salvation," by withdrawing 
from his company, and busying herself about matters 
comparatively trivial. She acted judiciously. Her con- 
duct was commendable. It deserves universal imitation. 
The same thing which was pre-eminently needful for her, 
is equally so for every human being. In short, to adopt 
the first lines of a well-known hymn — 

"Religion is the chief concern 
Of mortals here below." 

We must not, however, infer from the language of our 
Lord on this occasion, that the concerns of our souls can- 
not be adequately attended to without the neglect of our 
secular occupations. There is no warrant in the text 
before us, nor in any other portion of the inspired record, 
for such an exclusive and absorbing attention to the busi- 
ness of religion, (momentous and all-important though it 
is,) as incapacitates us for the discharge of inferior duties. 
In fact, religion itself is not only neglected, but outraged, 
by those who would make it a cloak for indolence, seek- 
ing to excuse themselves from temporal pursuits, under 
the pretence that their minds are too deeply engrossed 
with transactions of a spiritual nature. In this sense, 
there is certainly such a thing as being " righteous over- 
much." In seasons of high religious excitement, indivi- 
duals, and perhaps females more particularly, are liable 
to be carried beyond the bounds of moderation, and to 
dissipate their thoughts and their time in a round of al- 
most uninterrupted attendance on the exercises of public 
and social devotion. This circumstance is one of those 
which unhappily have furnished some ground for the re- 
proach which scoffers have attempted to bring upon what 
are called "revivals." These are undoubtedly great 
blessings to the sections of the church to which they are 



SERMON X. 177 

vouchsafed. But, like all the other bounties of heaven 
lavished on a corrupt world, they are alloyed in some de- 
gree with the noxious effects of human infirmity. Breth- 
ren, it is certain, as Solomon has told us, that " there is 
a season for every thing;" and you may readily discern 
that Martha was censured by her Redeemer, not because 
she was careful about the affairs of her family, but be- 
cause she suffered them to exercise an improper ascen- 
dency over her mind on an extraordinary occasion, when 
the great " Teacher come from God" was in her house, 
and an opportunity of religious improvement was pre- 
sented, such as she might rarely again enjoy. On the 
same ground, Mary was commended for not allowing an 
ill-timed anxiety in relation to household concernments, 
to force her from the company of Him, " who spake as 
never man spake." 

But the point now adverted to, is one on which it is not 
necessary to be very prolix. The opposite error is by far 
more common, as well as more generally dangerous. It 
happens comparatively seldom, that men neglect the con- 
cerns of time for those of eternity. Frequently, however, 
do we see them neglecting the concerns of eternity for 
those of time. The case of Martha is less rare than that 
of Mary. We would not, indeed, be understood as inti- 
mating by this remark, that Martha was not a truly pious 
woman, for we believe that on the whole she was. Our 
object is simply to say, that her conduct in being "care- 
ful and troubled about jiany things," is more in accord- 
ance with the way of the multitude, than that of Mary, 
who pursued just the opposite course. It is not to be 
denied, that the cares of the world steal away even from 
the best of Christians, a portion of that time which should 
have been devoted to the performance of the duties having 
the Deity immediately for their object. The petty con- 



178 SERMON X. 

cerns of life — the thousand little items continually recur- 
ring in the transaction of domestic affairs, — too often 
interfere with our religious exercises, and thwart our 
pious resolves. This observation is emphatically true 
in respect to females ; or, at least in respect to those 
females, who, like Martha, occupy the arduous post 
of housekeeper. They are so frequently "cumbered," 
or as the original term literally implies, " distracted 
with much serving" — they are subject to such various 
and nameless vexations arising from the perverseness 
of servants, and similar causes, that they cannot but 
realize the difficulty (insuperable, were it not for the all- 
sufficient grace of God) of combining, with a due attention 
to inferior duties, a paramount regard for the " one thing 
needful." It is an easy matter to smile at these peculiar 
trials of the female sex ; and, perhaps, a moderate share 
of judicious satire will be taken in good part, and can do 
them no harm. But we should always remember, that 
the difficulties with which they have to contend are real, 
and the profoundest philosopher of the age has averred, 
that " it is no small panegyric of woman to be mistress of 
herself, though China fall." 

We have said, that religion is represented by our 
Lord, in the text, as the " one thing needful." And surely 
it deserves to be thus represented. Even if we were to 
look no higher than to its influence on the character and 
condition of man here below, we should perceive much 
that serves to demonstrate its supreme importance — its 
transcendent value. That it is the source of many tempo- 
ral blessings, may be confidently affirmed. Indeed, this 
truth seems to be indirectly asserted by the Saviour him- 
self, when he says, "Seek first the kingdom of God and 
his righteousness, and all these things shall be added 
unto you;" where the expression, "all these things," 



SERMON X. 179 

refers, as may easily be seen from the context, to such 
comforts as are contemplated in the questions, "What 
shall we eat? what shall we drink? and, wherewithal 
shall we be clothed?" The apostle Paul expressly as- 
sures us, that "godliness is profitable unto all things, 
having the promise of the life that now is, and of that 
which is to come." The Proverbs of Solomon, too, 
abound with passages of the same tenour. For example, 
speaking of wisdom, his language is, " Length of days is 
in her right hand, and in her left hand riches and ho- 
nour." It is true, that some consider passages of this 
kind as figurative allusions to spiritual blessings. But 
we are persuaded that they may likewise be understood 
literally. And we moreover believe, that both reason 
and experience will bear us out in the assertion, that the 
general tendency of pure and undefiled religion is to pro- 
mote the real happiness of man even in this world. It 
preserves him from those evils which attend the unre- 
strained indulgence of the appetites and passions — it pro- 
cures for him the esteem and confidence of the community 
in which he moves — it lends dignity and value to all the 
innocent joys of life. 

But religion, viewed in relation to man as a candidate 
for eternity, is emphatically the "one thing needful." 
Much might be said in support of this position. We 
think, however, that its soundness will be sufficiently il- 
lustrated and evinced, if we consider, for a single moment, 
that the duties which religion prescribes, and the blessings 
which it confers and promises, are precisely accommodated 
to the condition and the wants of our race. 

Let us first look at the duties of religion. These, 
though multifarious, may be conveniently reduced to 
three: viz. Repentance, Faith, and general obedience to 
the revealed will of heaven. 



180 SERMON X 

Repentance. And who can doubt, that is a duty which 
it is eminently fitting for man to perform? Is he not a 
sinner? Has he not broken the law of his Maker, written 
on his heart, and faithfully interpreted by conscience? Has 
he not also violated that fuller and brighter announcement 
of Jehovah's will, which the sacred volume exhibits? And 
how, under such circumstances, can he enjoy any thing like 
peace and happiness, until he has learned to contemplate 
his past conduct in its true light, as deeply offensive to the 
divine majesty, and has formed the fervent resolution to 
spend the residue of his career on earth in a very differ- 
ent manner? Is it not becoming, that his heart should 
bleed with sorrow for the transgressions which he has 
committed? Is it not right, that tears of penitence should 
flow in torrents from his eyes ? What can be more need- 
ful than the contrition which the Scriptures enjoin? 
Who does not feel, that the offender against heaven never 
acts with so much propriety and grace, as when, over- 
whelmed with a sense of guilt, he falls prostrate before 
the throne of the Most High, and exclaims in the language 
of Job, "I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes?" 

Another duty of religion is Faith. And surely this 
duty is one peculiarly fitted to the situation of man as a 
culprit, all whose hopes of mercy must rest on the friend- 
ly offices of a Redeemer. He is wholly unable to save 
himself. No oblation which he can carry to the altar of 
heaven will expiate his guilt. He can be accepted at the 
bar of Jehovah only in virtue of the merits of Jesus 
Christ. Of course he must rely implicitly and entirely 
on those merits as a ground of salvation. So that the 
leading injunction of the New r Testament, believe, is 
exactly suited to the present condition of man. 

Obedience to the whole revealed will of heaven is a 
third duty of religion. The fitness of this duty results 



SERMON X. Igi 

from the relation subsisting between every created being 
and the great Creator. It is unquestionably proper, that 
the thing formed should submit to the control and fulfil 
the pleasure of Him who formed it. And still more right 
and reasonable must this subserviency appear, When we 
reflect, that God requires of us nothing but what is calcu- 
lated to promote our own advantage. In keeping his 
commandments there is an exceeding great reward. In 
yielding to his exactions, we pursue the course most truly 
and permanently profitable to ourselves. For example, 
if we advert to that class of his precepts which may be 
arranged under the general head of self-denial, and to 
which the mind undisciplined by virtue and piety, is al- 
ways most ready to demur, we shall discover, on due ex- 
amination, that they have a direct tendency to diminish 
the evils of the present, and to mature the human being 
for the enjoyments of a future state. They are exactly 
what he needs to preserve him from degradation and 
misery in a world, where temptations so many and so 
powerful beset every moment of his life — every step of his 
career. While they appear to bring him under a degree 
of restraint, their real effect is to liberate him from thral- 
dom far more ignominious and wretched-^- to sever the 
trammels of corrupt habits, and to confer upon one who 
was once the veriest slave, the immunities of the noblest 
freedom. O! tell us, ye who object to the self-denying 
maxims of Christianity, can you conceive of liberty more 
exalted and more enviable, than that which comes to the 
soul of the man who emerges from the depths of intem- 
perance, and puts for ever away from him the inebriating 
goblet 1 And is it not a glorious emancipation too which 
religion achieves, when it causes that significant injunc- 
tion, "Lave not the world, neither the things of the 
world," to tell on the conscience of the avaricious 

21 



182 SERMON X. 

individual, and compels him to unlock his hoarded 
treasures, and melts the stream of sympathetic feeling 
which had been so long frozen in his bosom, and relumes 
the light of benevolence which had faded from his eye, 
and renders him a ministering angel to the destitute and 
the suffering that surround him! What a sublime — 
what a blessed transformation is this ! And yet it is the 
simple effect which the precepts of self-denial contained 
in the New Testament, when carried into practice, ne- 
cessarily produce on the moral character. 

We see, then, that the duties which religion enjoins, 
are precisely adapted to the condition of man. And so 
the blessings which it confers in this world, and which it 
promises in the world to come, are exactly such as he 
is most in need of. We shall not attempt to speak of 
these blessings in detail. A passing allusion to one or 
two of them will answer our present purpose. First, the 
pardon of sin is among the most prominent of the benefits 
which the gospel bestows on our guilty race. Now, 
every one must admit, that no boon is better suited to our 
wants than this. The criminal sentenced to die for the 
violation of his country's laws, will tell you, that the most 
intense and absorbing desire of his soul, is that he may 
become an object of executive clemency. Nor can any 
language speak the joy with which he is transported, 
when he hears, that the claims of justice are to be relax- 
ed in his favour, and that he is not to perish by the igno- 
minious stroke which he so much dreaded. In like 
manner the individual who has a proper view of his guilt 
as a transgressor of the divine law — who sees that he has 
incurred his Maker's direst displeasure, and that nothing 
but the interposition of most unmerited mercy on the part 
of his heavenly Sovereign, can rescue him from the deep 
dishonour and the excrutiating anguish of eternal death 



SERMON X. 183 

— he who thus feels would exchange the treasures of the 
universe, were they his, for the well- authenticated intima- 
tion, that the sentence of condemnation passed upon him 
was revoked, and that the offences which he had com- 
mitted were all expunged from the recording-book of his 
supreme Judge. To him forgiveness were, indeed " a 
joyful sound" — a sound which comes upon his ear with 
melody more exhilarating than " the music of the spheres." 
Another blessing which religion confers, is peace of con- 
science — that internal tranquillity — that settled calm of the 
soul — to which the wicked are strangers, and for which, 
in their hours of remorse, when haunted by the terrific 
spectre of a mispent life, they would gladly sacrifice all 
that they had ever deemed desirable in wealth, in plea- 
sure, or in the coveted distinctions of earth. As a further 
blessing that springs from the benign influence of religion, 
we may mention the peculiar support and solace which it 
administers in the season of sorrow, in the hour of sick- 
ness, and in the crisis of death. The parent who follows 
to the grave a beloved and promising child — the man 
whose property is wrested from him by some sudden 
casualty, or, which is yet worse, whose reputation has 
been blasted by unfounded calumny — and the individual 
who lies on yonder couch, from which he is to rise no 
more, given over by his physicians, and admonished by 
sensations within him not to be mistaken, that the last 
struggle is at hand, — these, brethren, are the witnesses 
to whom we appeal in behalf of the doctrine of our text, 
that religion is the one thing needful. And yet the 
benefits which it thus confers, are merely preparatory to 
those which it promises. We have mentioned only the 
beginning — the inadequate foretaste, of its blessings. Un- 
speakably higher, indescribably brighter, incalculably 
dearer — are the joys of which it is the source, in the state 



Ig4 SERMON X, 

that follows death. It lifts the human being to a future 
and celestial World, where, delivered from all that is gross 
in his nature, and elevated above those limits that here 
obstruct his vision and impede his march, he shall expa- 
tiate over the regions of purity and bliss—unfettered by 
space — unbounded by time — the compeer of angels — the 
associate of kindred spirits from earth — the co-heir of 
Christ — the child and friend of God. 

There is a further consideration suggested by the 
second clause of the passage before us, which especially 
shows that religion is the " one thing needful." « And 
Mary (says the Saviour) hath chosen that good part 
which shall not be taken away from her" All other 
blessings are fleeting and precarious. Religion only is 
able to impress the signet of immutability upon the benefits 
which it confers. They who make these benefits their 
choice, select a portion of which nothing can deprive 
them. Their career on earth may be shaded by occa- 
sional gloom — untoward circumstances may now and then 
occur to mar their quiet — a mysterious providence may 
even visit them with many temporal calamities. But of 
what account are such light afflictions, compared with 
the eternal weight of glory which is in reserve for them 
beyond the grave? They may look upon these transient 
ills, as the parental inflictions of a God who chastens his 
children for their good ; and who addresses them indi- 
vidually in such consolatory terms as these: "For a 
small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mer- 
cies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face 
from thee for a moment \ but with everlasting kindness 
will 1 have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Re- 
deemer." How happy and secure are those to whom 
Jehovah thus speaks ! In the darkest and dreariest hour, 
they have a hope of which they are not ashamed-— an 



SERMON X. 185 

anchor fastened within the veil, which buoys up their 
despondent hearts. Yes, even then they can enter into 
the feelings which prompted the prophet of old to ex- 
claim, with the unconquerable energy of faith — "Although 
the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the 
vines ; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields 
shall yield no meat ; the flock shall be cut off from the 
fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls ; yet I will 
rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salva- 
tion." This, brethren, is the language of a soul into 
which the Spirit of the Most High has shed his selectest 
influence. And it is language which may well be adopted 
in view of the substantial, ever-during blessings which 
religion imparts— blessings which, when earth with all 
its scenes and pursuits has vanished, shall remain the 
unalienable inheritance of the redeemed — blessings subject 
to no change, except so far as they are destined to gather 
new brightness and fulness from the revolutions of eter- 
nity. O! what an animating thought is this! Who can 
conceive the thrill of ecstacy which it must diffuse among 
the inhabitants of heaven ! Yes, the conviction that the 
good part which they have chosen, shall not be taken 
away from them, is a primary element — the grand vivi- 
fying principle of the happiness which they enjoy. De- 
prive them of this conviction — tell them that they shall 
not "be ever with the Lord" — publish to them the intel- 
ligence, that at some coming period, no matter how re- 
mote, their lot must alter, and what would be the conse- 
quence? Every harp would be unstrung, every countenance 
would droop, and the awful stillness of despair would 
reign throughout their ranks: — 

w Could they, so rich in rapture, fear a change, 
That ghastly thought would drink up all their joys, 
And quite unparadise the realms of light." 



186 SERMON X. 

But an apprehension of this kind can never force its per- 
turbing way into the rest that remaineth for the people of 
God. The participants of that rest know that their peace 
and bliss are secured beyond the possibility of molesta- 
tion. They feel that their condition is unchangeable — 
that their fate is mysteriously linked, if we may be 
allowed so to speak, with that of the High and Holy 
One himself. 

And now, dear hearers, what is the conclusion of the 
whole matter? — It is this: Have you obtained the owe 
thing needful P We would press the query on the con- 
science of every individual before us. We have attempted 
to show — and we presume you will hardly deny — that 
the blessings of religion are infinitely valuable. They are 
blessings, in comparison with which the choicest advan- 
tages that earth can yield, are but " as stubble before the 
wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away." Wealth 
may be dissipated by a thousand casualties. Honour 
may be rudely torn from the brow that wears it. Plea- 
sure, in its fairest and most enchanting forms, is evanes- 
cent as the shadow of the dial. But the happiness which 
religion confers, instead of coming to an end, is destined 
to last and expand for ever. Believe us, then, it matters 
not what may be your acquisitions, and what your enjoy- 
ments, so long as you are destitute of the one thing need- 
ful. Without the assurances of religion, how intolerable 
must be the sense of sin ! Without the consolations of 
religion, how cheerless must be the day of affliction ! 
Without the prospects of religion, how gloomy must be 
the hour of sickness ! And without at once the assur- 
ances, the consolations, and the prospects — the whole 
combined power of religion, how awful must be the article 
of death ! Ah ! there are periods in the earthly career 
of every impenitent sinner, no matter how apparently 



SERMON X. 187 

prosperous and externally happy may be his condition — 
periods in which he realizes the utter worthlessness of all 
terrestrial objects, and sighs for a tranquillity and a satis- 
faction which he cannot find. A more miserable being is 
not to be met with in the wide range of existence, than 
the man who knows — who feels, that religion is the one 
thing needful, and yet remains a stranger to its comforts 
and its joys. He may be said, almost without a figure, 
to endure, not merely the torment of unquenchable thirst, 
but like the fabled Tantalus, the additional aggravation 
of a stream regularly promising to approach his lips, and 
as regularly receding in mockery away. 

It is folly, then — nay, it is madness, to postpone the 
business of religion. Seek then at once, dear hearers, 
the one thing needful. Choose, this very morning, " that 
good part, which shall not be taken away from you." 



SERMON XI. 



JLUKE Vn. 36 50. 

" And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he 
went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat. And behold, a woman 
in the city which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the 
Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster-box of ointment, and stood at his feet 
behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe 
them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with 
the ointment. Now, when the Pharisee which had bidden him, saw it, he 
spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have 
known who, and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she 
is a sinner. And Jesus answering, said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to 
say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. There was a certain creditor 
which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 
And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell 
me, therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and 
said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, 
Thou hast rightly judged. And he turned to the woman, and said unto 
Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house; thou gavest me no 
water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them 
with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss; but this woman, since 
the time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou 
didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. 
"Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she 
loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And they 
that sat at meat with him, began to say within themselves, Who is this that 
forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; 
go in peace." 

It was distinctly foretold, in the prophecies of the Old 
Testament, that when the Messiah should appear in our 
world, he would meet with a reception by no means 
suited to the excellence of his character, and the import- 
ant object of his divine mission. This prediction was 
literally verified. He came to his own, and his own re- 
ceived him not. He grew up as a tender plant, and as 



SERMON XI. 189 

a root out of a dry ground; and when he entered on the 
duties of his public ministry, he seemed without form or 
comeliness ; the generality of those who saw him, dis- 
cerned no beauty that they should desire him. All 
classes of the community contemplated him with distrust, 
while the wealthy and the influential — particularly those 
in the high places of the temple and the synagogue — dis- 
played a keen and an active hostility to his pretensions 
and his person. 

There were a few, however, even among the opulent 
and distinguished citizens of Judea, who rose superior to 
prejudice, and perceived, that Jesus of Nazareth was no 
ordinary man. Of this description also was Joseph of 
Arimathea, a wealthy individual, who obtained from Pi- 
late the crucified body of Christ, and caused it to be 
properly interred in his own sepulchre. And of this de- 
scription too was the Pharisee, concerning whom we read 
in the passage which we have chosen for comment this 
morning. It does not, indeed, appear, that he entertain- 
ed any correct views as to the character and office of our 
Lord. But he must have formed a favourable opinion, 
however vague, of one whom, though poor and friend- 
less, he invited to become his guest. 

Who this Pharisee was, is a question which critics 
have not been able exactly to settle. That his name was 
Simon, is evident form the fortieth verse, and hence some 
have been led to identify him with Simon the leper, who 
resided in Bethany, and at whose house Jesus was par- 
taking of a meal, when a female entered and manifested 
her affectionate regard for him, in a manner similar to 
what is here recorded. We shall not enter into the con- 
troversy, whether the four evangelists allude to the same 
occurrence, or whether the circumstance related by Luke 

22 



190 SERMON XI. 

is different from the one which Matthew, Mark and John 
describe as having taken place at Bethany. The argu- 
ments in support of both opinions are plausible. But 
those in favour of the latter supposition appear to us to 
preponderate. We, therefore, incline to think, that the in- 
cident presented to our consideration in the passage be- 
fore us, has been omitted by the other historians of the 
New Testament, the coincidence of names to which we 
have alluded, being merely accidental. 

This Pharisee, whoever he was, and wherever he lived, 
invited our Lord to eat with him. Such a mark of res- 
pect, though it did not proceed from a conviction, that 
Jesus was the Christ, shows at least, that his merits, as a 
man of piety and intelligence, were appreciated. It is 
consolatory to reflect, that his poverty and obscure origin 
did not prevent all from perceiving his excellence, and 
treating him with a degree of attention and kindness. — 
The Saviour accepted the invitation, because he was 
aware that it had been dictated by no improper motive. 
It was not his custom to keep aloof from society. As he 
lived only to do good, he mingled, on every suitable oc- 
casion, with men. 

During the progress of the entertainment in the Phari- 
see's house, a woman whose character had not been the 
best, came in to see Jesus, and to manifest her pecu- 
liar veneration for him. The opinion has long been a 
very prevalent one, that this woman was no other than 
she who is known to the readers of the New Testament 
by the name of Mary Magdalen. Why such a notion 
should have obtained so much currency, it is not an easy 
matter to say. There is not a particle of Scriptural 
evidence to sustain it. The common, but somewhat un- 
accountable, impression of Christians has done a gross 



SERMON XI. 191 

injustice to the reputation of Mary Magdalen.* That 
she was an unchaste woman is a mere presumption, not 
supported by any thing which the sacred historians have 
recorded in respect to her. Indeed, from their relations, 
we should be led to conclude, that she was a female of 
wealth and most reputable standing in society. It is 
true, that she is described as one out of whom the Sa- 
viour cast seven devils. But we must not imagine, that 
the subjects of the demoniacal possessions, were persons of 
a worse moral character than others. Whatever opinion 
may be adopted concerning the nature of those possessions, 
all, we presume, must look upon them as afflictive visita- 
tions of providence, to which the good and the bad were 
equally exposed. Calamity in this world, is not a criterion, 
by which to measure the amount of human guilt. The 
Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sa- 
crifices, were not sinners above all the Galileans, because 
they suffered such things. Nor were the eighteen upon 
whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, sinners 
above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem. And so neither 
were those possessed of demons sinners above other indi- 
viduals, who escaped this dire misfortune. 

It is certain, then, that the woman in the passage be- 
fore us was not Mary Magdalen. All that we know 
respecting her, is that she was a female who had former- 
ly lived an irregular life, but was now brought to a 
proper sense of her extreme depravity. She looked back, 
with the keenest regret, upon her abandoned course, and 
anxiously desired the pardon of her sins. We may 
presume, that her convictions of guilt had on some pre- 
vious occasion, been awakened by the preaching of our 
Lord, and that, when she heard of his being in the 

• See, on this subject, a note in Cappe's Sermons, (Sermon xiv. pt. 1.) and 
also a Tract by the celebrated Dr. Lardner, therein referred to. 



192 SERMON XI. 

Pharisee's house, she determined to approach his pre- 
sence, for the purpose of manifesting the reverential love, 
with which his character and instructions had inspired 
her, and obtaining, if possible, the remission of offences, 
the oppressive burden of which was weighing down her 
spirit to the very dust. We are told that she advanced 
behind him as he sat at meat, or rather, as he reclined on 
his left elbow, according to the ancient custom, with the 
lower part of his body outside of the person below him 
on the same couch. It is obvious that in this posture, his 
feet would be accessible to any one who approached him 
as this female is represented to have done. The sacred 
historian informs us, that she brought with her an alabas- 
ter box of ointment, in order to anoint the Saviour's feet. 
We need scarcely tell you that anointing was a custom 
prevalent in Palestine, at the time in which this incident 
occurred, aud which still forms one of the characteristics 
of Oriental manners. It was usual for every person to 
wash and anoint himself before he went to an entertain- 
ment. As sandals were then worn, the feet would be 
somewhat soiled in walking, and therefore the guest, on 
arriving at the house to which he was invited, was con- 
ducted into a room, where a servant in attendance imme- 
diately took off the sandals, and washed and anointed his 
feet. It appears that this mark of respect was omitted in 
the case of our Lord, and, probably, for a reason which 
the Pharisee might readily persuade himself was quite 
sufficient — because Jesus was an individual of indigent 
and lowly circumstances, and it was not fashionable then, 
any more than it is now, to be very ceremonious with 
such a guest. — The penitent female, as she stood behind 
the Saviour, wept profusely, her tears dropping upon his 
feet. Perceiving what had happened, she proceeded to 
wipe the feet with her hair, and then applied the ointment 
with which she had provided herself. 



SERMON XI. 193 

* A transaction so extraordinary, naturally attracted the 
notice of all who were present, and every one, no doubt, 
commented upon it in his own mind. The sacred histo- 
rian has told us what the Pharisee himself thought about 
the matter. His mental language was as follows: "This 
man, if he were a prophet, would have known who, and 
what manner of woman this is that toucheth him ; for she 
is a sinner." — A precious specimen of Pharisaical sancti- 
moniousness! Jesus was a prophet, and he did know 
every thing relating to the character and history of the 
woman. Yes, and he knew, too, what were the thoughts 
of his host, for he immediately accosted him in this style: 
" Simon, I have somewhat to say to thee ;" and, on the 
Pharisee's desiring him to proceed, he continued thus — 
" There was a certain creditor which had two debtors ; 
the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 
And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave 
them both. Tell me, therefore, which of them will love 
him most?" The Pharisee, perhaps not yet discerning 
the drift of our Lord's discourse, promptly replied, "I 
suppose, that he to whom he forgave most." The an- 
swer spoke the natural dictate of every sound under- 
standing, and prepared the way for the apposite conclusion 
at which the Saviour wished to arrive. "Thou hast 
rightly judged," said he to the Pharisee; and then, look- 
ing at the despised female, pursued his remarks: — 
" Seest thou this woman ? 1 entered into thy house, thou 
gavest me no water for my feet ; but she washed my feet 
with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. 
Thou gavest me no kiss ; but this woman, since the time 
I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head 
with oil thou didst not anoint; but this woman hath 
anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore 1 say unto 
thee, Her sins, which arc many, arc forgiven; for she 



194 SERMON XI. 

loved much ; but to whom little is forgiven, the same 
loveth little." Our Lord, having thus explained the 
grounds on which he suffered the penitent female to mani- 
fest her affectionate regards for him, addressed to her the 
consolatory words — "Thy sins are forgiven." This 
language, as usual, excited the surprise of those who 
heard it, aud we are told, that they began to say among 
themselves, "Who is this that forgiveth sins also?" 
Jesus, without intimating his knowledge of their secret 
murmurs, dismissed the woman with the additional assur- 
ance, " Thy faith hath saved thee ; go in peace." 

The scriptural passage which we have thus briefly 
reviewed, is replete with interesting and important in- 
struction. We shall now advert, for a few minutes, to 
one or two of the topics which it presents to our con- 
sideration. 

And our first remark is, that we may hence learn, how 
free and ample is the pardon which the gospel proffers to 
penitent sinners. We have seen that the female who 
heard from the lips of Christ, the gracious assurance that 
her sins were forgiven, had been an offender of no ordi- 
nary turpitude. It is said expressly, that her transgres- 
sions were many, and when we consider what is intimated 
concerning her course of life, we cannot doubt the correct- 
ness of the declaration. Yet we find that the deep de- 
pravity of character in which she appeared before the 
Saviour, did not induce him to spurn her from his sacred 
presence. She came as a contrite transgressor, and met 
with a kind reception. He did not say to her, as the 
self-righteous Pharisee would, no doubt, have said — 
" Thy errors are too numerous and flagrant to be erased 
from the recording book of heaven. Forgiveness is out 
of the question. Thou must perish eternally." — No; 
and there never was an instance in which the Son of God 



SERMON XI. 195 

held such language as this towards any sincere penitent. 
It is the glory of our religion, that it professes to be able 
to save all classes of human culprits. Other systems may 
deal in nice distinctions, balance the various degrees of 
guilt, and promise the divine favour only to those whose 
history has not been marked by wide aberrations from 
rectitude, and gross violations of purity. But Christianity 
takes a different and a broader ground. It concludes all 
under sin, and provides a method of recovery suited to 
the condition, and commensurate with the exigencies, of 
all. It does not, indeed, espouse a doctrine similar to 
that so strenuously defended by the aucient Stoics, who 
maintained that there is absolutely no difference in re- 
spect to the moral demerit of crimes. It admits that there 
are many degrees of human guilt, which will be rigidly 
discriminated by the sovereign Judge, in pronouncing the 
sentence of final condemnation. But then it teaches us, 
that the least degree, if not repented of, will doom the 
violator of the divine law to endless misery, while the 
greatest will not be sufficient to exclude the truly penitent 
offender from everlasting happiness. It informs us, that 
the sacrifice of Christ, being of infinite value, has satisfied 
every demand of justice against the race of man, and that 
there is now no obstacle to the pardon of any trans- 
gressor, who manifests by repentance and faith, a sincere 
desire to obtain such pardon. This, brethren, is the 
amount of the message from on high, published in the 
gospel. And surely it would have been unworthy of the 
wisdom and benevolence of Heaven, to devise and reveal 
a scheme of salvation less comprehensive in its nature 
and provisions. There is no feature belonging to Chris- 
tianity, so clearly and conclusively indicative of its celes- 
tial origin, as the fact, that it points us to a personage 
whose blood cleanseth from all sin, and who is able to 



196 SERMON XI. 

save to the very uttermost, those who come unto God by 
him. This, as we have said, is the glory of our religion. 
Let us always avoid every set of theological dogmas, 
which has the smallest tendency to obscure it. 

Again, we may learn from the passage before us, some 
of the attributes of that repentance, which is required by 
the gospel, as a preliminary to the pardon of sin. We 
see that it implies a poignant regret for the offences which 
we have committed against the divine majesty. Nothing 
could exceed the sorrow of this female, whose tears fell in 
torrents on the feet of her Saviour. And what was the 
cause of her grief? Did it arise purely from the reflection 
that she had lost, in consequence of her vicious course of 
life, the favour of her friends, and the esteem of society? 
Surely not ; else her first transgression, which must have 
awakened the same reflection, would have been equally 
efficacious in producing the same result. The bitterness 
of soul which she now experienced, proceeded from an 
entirely new train of thought. Her eyes were at last 
opened to see that her conduct, besides its injurious effect 
upon her character and happiness in this world, was a 
violation of the divine law, and placed her in the awful 
attitude of a rebel against that God, in whose hand was 
her breath, and whose were all her ways. She perceived 
that she had been criminal in a manner, and to a degree, 
of which she had not before the most vague conception. 
The overwhelming conviction came upon her, that she 
had abused the mercies, and insulted the authority of her 
highest — her heavenly Benefactor. Yes, this was the 
feeling which predominated in her bosom, and rendered 
her penitence so acute. — A second distinguishing feature 
of her repentance, was, that it was accompanied with 
some hope of forgiveness. Her remorse, however great, 
was not marked by absolute despair. She believed that 



SERMON XI. ^97 

Christ was able to speak peace to her troubled soul, and, 
under the influence of this belief, determined to apply to 
him for mercy. The very fact of her application, would 
seem to prove, that she cherished an idea, that there was, 
at least, a possibility of its being attended with success. 
But the concluding words in which our Lord addressed 
her, establish the point beyond dispute. " Thy faith," 
said he, " hath saved thee ; go in peace." It is evident, 
then, that the repentance of this woman was what some 
religious writers have termed, a " believing repentance." 
— A third attribute by which it was characterized, was 
the ardent love to Jesus which accompanied it. We can- 
not conceive of affection more humble, disinterested and 
fervent, than was displayed by this female. Her con- 
duct evinced, that there was no kindly office, however 
menial, which she would not gladly have performed for 
Christ. 

Another leading idea involved in the passage which 
we are considering, is that the individual who becomes 
sincerely penitent, will, in general, love and serve his 
Redeemer, with a zeal proportionate to the enormity of 
his previous career. This truth is beautifully illustrated 
by our Lord, in the case of the creditor and two debtors, 
which he proposed to the Pharisee, and from which he 
deduced the conclusion, that they to whom much is for- 
given, will love much. It is natural, that the man who 
is arrested by divine grace, in the full tide of iniquity — in 
the midst of a course which was carrying him, with more 
than ordinary rapidity, down to the world of wo — should 
be penetrated with the deepest sense of the value and 
importance of the benefit thus conferred upon him, and 
should, consequently, cherish the most ardent affection 
for the Author of his deliverance from impending misery. 
How strikingly does the example of the apostle Paul 

23 



i98 SERMON XI. 

elucidate and confirm the principle to which we are now 
directing your attention. We know, that, previous to his 
conversion, he was one of the bitterest and most dangerous 
enemies to the cause of Christ. He had conceived a deadly 
hostility to the gospel, and he was not a man whose 
opinions exerted little influence over his conduct. Bold, 
energetic and restless in his disposition, he could not re- 
main an inert opposer of a religious system which he 
disliked. He at once threw himself into the van of the 
persecution which was gathering against the followers of 
Jesus of Nazareth. So fierce and cruel was the zeal 
which raged in his bosom, that he spared neither age nor 
sex ; and when he had finished, as he supposed, the dia- 
bolical work at Jerusalem, he set out on a crusade against 
the Christian fugitives, who had sought an asylum from 
death or imprisonment in the surrounding cities. Such 
was Paul before lie became a penitent believer in the gos- 
pel. And what was Paul afterwards? The most devoted 
friend of Jesus, and the most resolute and untiring and 
successful champion of the cross. He laboured more 
abundantly than all the other apostles, because, as much 
had been forgiven him, so he loved much. He displayed 
his affection for the Saviour, by a series of unexampled 
self-denials, sufferings and toils in his service. So ardent 
and irresistible was the zeal manifested by him in behalf 
of the religion which once he destroyed, that a living 
writer of our own country, inheriting something of a kin- 
dred spirit, has hesitated not to affirm, (hat fifty such men 
as Paul the apostle would be sufficient, at this day, to 
evangelize the world. — To the case of Paul, we might, 
did time permit, add many more of a later date. Thus, 
the author of the Pilgrim's Progress was as distinguished, 
among those who knew him, for wickedness, before his 
conversion, as he was afterwards remarkable for his piety. 



SERMON XI. 199 

He felt, that much had been forgiven him, and he, there- 
fore, loved much. He was sensible, that he was most 
deeply indebted to divine mercy, and he accordingly 
manifested his gratitude, by producing a book which we 
do not forbear to place at the head of uninspired compo- 
sitions — a book which has gone through more editions, 
been more generally read, and effected more extensive and 
permanent good to mankind, than any other, with the 
single exception of the Bible. — And what was the early 
life of John Newton? He has himself told the story of 
his awful depravity. He says, that so utterly abandoned 
had he become, that he " made it his study to tempt and 
seduce others upon every occasion," and even " eagerly 
sought occasion, sometimes to his own hazard and hurt." 
In a word, such were his character and condition, while 
on the coast of Africa, engaged in the business of the 
slave-trade, that, according to his own statement, there 
were " few even of the negroes who did not think them- 
selves too good to speak to him." And yet this man, so 
apparently lost to virtue, respectability and happiness, 
became one of the most ardently pious Christians, and 
eminently useful ministers of the gospel, that England 
has produced, brightly exemplifying the principle, that 
they to whom much is forgiven, will love much. — We 
doubt not, that the personal observation of our hearers 
may furnish them with instances illustrating, in a greater 
or less degree, the same truth. 

Brethren, we may learn from this subject, that there is 
nothing so well calculated to increase our love to the 
Saviour and our diligence in his service, as the review of 
our moral history during the period in which we were 
indifferent to the concerns of religion. Where is the 
Christian who does not feel, that much has been forgiven 
him? Is it not an unquestionable fact, that we have all 



200 SERMON XI. 

greatly offended against the divine Majesty? We may 
not, indeed, have been guilty of any of those crimes for 
which the laws of human society inflict punishment — any 
of those gross and flagrant offences which are followed 
by a forfeiture of the esteem and confidence of the world 
at large. But our consciences may readily point us to 
numberless cases, in which we have violated the precepts, 
and incurred the severe displeasure of the Most High. 
The very best of us have sinned enough, and more than 
enough, to render hell our due. The utmost suffering that 
Omnipotence could impose upon us, would not exceed 
our deserts. Let us, then, look back upon our past 
career. Let us think of our transgressions. Let us con- 
trast the mercies we have enjoyed with the life we have 
led. It is in this way that our affection for Him to whom 
we owe our pardon, will gather additional intensity, and 
we shall become more and more devoted to his honour 
and glory. Yes, Christian brethren, we shall thus realize, 
that much, very much has been forgiven us, and shall, 
therefore, be constrained to love much. 

The passage on which we have now been meditating is 
fraught with encouragement to penitent sinners. It teaches 
us, as we have already remarked, that the gospel proffers 
a free and an ample forgiveness to all who really feel 
their need of a Saviour, and promptly apply to him for 
mercy. There is no human culprit, whatever may be his 
character and condition — widely as he may have strayed 
from rectitude and purity — deeply as he may have sunk in 
corruption — who has it not in his power, by repentance 
and faith, to obtain the full remission of his offences, and, 
what is still more important, such a renovation of his 
moral nature, as shall render him a fit companion for the 
virtuous in this world, and an heir of honour, glory and 
immortality in the next world. Yes, contrite transgressor, 



SERMON XI. 201 

you have no occasion to despond. Jehovah's arm is not 
shortened, that he cannot save — his ear is not heavy 
that he cannot hear. " Come now, and let us reason 
together, saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, 
they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like 
crimson, they shall be as wool." 

We have said, that the gospel proffers free and ample 
forgiveness to all penitent sinners. We must not, how- 
ever, omit to add, distinctly and emphatically, that it 
proffers such forgiveness only to penitent sinners. For 
those who regret not their violations of the divine law, 
and who, consequently, determine to live in time to come, 
just as they have lived in time that is past, it reveals no 
pardon — it holds out no prospect, but that of perpetual 
banishment from the presence of God, and the joys of 
heaven. Believe us, dear hearers, you must either re- 
pent of your sins, or else go to hell, and be miserable 
there for ever. This language may sound harsh ; but if 
we know our own heart, we speak it affectionately. 
We are persuaded, that it involves a truth, of which it is 
essential to your highest and dearest interest, that you 
should be fully and deeply convinced. Wo to the man 
who deludes and ruins himself with the hope, that the 
Bible is a lie, and that there is no future suffering 
for the impenitent ! It were an easy task to show, how 
repugnant is such a notion to the dictates of reason, and 
the decisions of Scripture. But arguments would be lost 
upon him who is fool enough to suppose that Jehovah 
will make no distinction between them that serve him, 
and them that serve him not — that thieves and drunk- 
ards and revilers and extortioners shall inherit the 
kingdom of heaven — whoremongers and adulterers God 
will not judge. — We repeat it, dear hearers, that you 
must either repent, or be wretched throughout eternity. 



202 SERMON XI. 

The gospel presents no other alternative. And O! 
remember that it is in your own power to do, or to 
be, which you please. You are just as free to repent, 
as you are to continue impenitent. There is no ob- 
stacle to your repentance, unless, indeed, a preference for 
sin be accounted such. And what is a preference for 
sin but impenitence itself? Yes, you can repent, if you 
will; and, therefore, the language of God to you this day 
is, "Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will 
ye die, house of Israel?" 



SERMON xm 






ZECHARIAH XIII. 1. 



*' tn that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David, and to 
the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness." 

Our text is a prophetical reference, peculiarly distinct 
and emphatic, to the mediatorial work of Christ. We 
are here pointed, in a manner too plain to be mistaken, to 
that blood which was shed on Calvary, for the expiation 
of human guilt. The passage thus contemplated, suggests 
reflections of an interesting and important kind. 

It implies, that it was necessary for God to make some 
provision for the salvation of men — to devise a method by 
which they might be recovered from "sin and unclean- 
ness." The natural condition of every human being is 
marked by moral defilement. The soul, which originally 
proceeded from the Creator's hand in a state of purity — 
bright with the lustre of virtue — glowing with the fair 
imprint of the divine image, — is now soiled, and stained, 
and polluted. We do not, indeed, say that it retains no 
traces of what it once was. We believe the contrary. 
We can see in man many an indication of primitive recti- 
tude. There is undoubtedly much in the endearments of 
domestic life — much in the kind offices of friendship — 
much in the disinterested exertions of benevolence — and 
much in the varied intercourse of business, — to convince 
the sober and candid observer, that the fall has not utterly 
destroyed that exquisite workmanship which he who 
formed it pronounced good. But man, though conscience 



204 SERMON Xll. 

points his view with unerring certainty, to the broad dis- 
tinctions of right and wrong, and compels him on many 
occasions to be just and benevolent — is still a fallen and 
depraved being. He does not love, he does not fear, he 
does not serve, his Maker as he ought. While tran- 
sient emotions of a devotional sort, may now and then 
arise in his bosom, it is indubitable, that the prevailing 
state of his heart is characterized by a settled aversion to 
the divine authority and laws. He delights not to con- 
template the holiness of Deity. He recoils from the 
thought, that Jehovah is immaculate in all his perfections, 
and equitable in all his proceedings — a Being in whose 
sight the very heavens are comparatively impure — one 
who weigheth actions, and will by no means clear the 
guilty. 

It was necessary, then, that some provision should be 
made by God for the restoration of our race to original 
purity. The stains of sin must be washed out from the 
soul, before the human being can enjoy the favour of his 
Maker, and become happy under the moral government 
of the High and Holy One. We do not now say, that it 
was necessary for Jehovah to resort to the very plan of 
salvation which the gospel unfolds. We shall not take 
upon us to assert, that it was incompetent to a Deity 
whose wisdom and power are both unbounded, to con- 
trive an expedient different from the one which he has 
actually adopted for the recovery of our fallen world. 
The assertion has, indeed, been made by well-meaning 
writers; and it is no unusual thing to hear addresses 
from the pulpit, in which the same ground is assumed. 
But the judicious thinker will not venture to limit the 
omnipotence of God, in any case which does not clearly 
involve a contradiction. He will not presume to affirm 
that the infinite mind was driven to such a state of diffi- 



sermon xn. 205 

culty and perplexity— that the resources of Divinity were 
so nearly exhausted, that only a single alternative re- 
mained, and the Creator must either abandon the intelli- 
gent inhabitants of earth to final, irretrievable destruction, 
or else rescue them by the precise method which Chris- 
tianity exhibits. And after all, the point is one respecting 
which it is useless to speculate. It is surely enough for 
us to know that some method was necessary; and that 
a method every way adequate to the end contemplated, 
has been revealed. 

We are thus led to a second general reflection suggest- 
ed by the passage under consideration, which is, that 
sufficient provision has been made on the part of God, for 
the recovery of men from "sin and uncleanness." This 
is implied in the figurative language of our text. A "foun- 
tain" conveys the idea of abundance. The water from a 
reservoir may be exhausted : but the stream that ema- 
nates from an original source, runs with a fulness and 
steadiness, in which we may recognise at once the bounty 
and the uniformity of nature. And in the same manner 
flows the grace of God which briogeth salvation : a tide 
of benevolence — a current of compassion, — exuberant and 
perennial. 

There are two aspects under which the salvation of the 
gospel may be contemplated. It may be regarded as a 
plan both for expiating the guilt of men, and gradually 
emancipating them from the dominion of evil habits ; the 
former being accomplished through the atoning merits of 
the death of Christ, and the latter effected by the gracious 
operations of the Holy Spirit. Let us glance for a few 
minutes at each of these particulars. 

The provision which God has made for the salvation 
of men, consists primarily in a full satisfaction rendered 
to his justice for their transgressions, by the sacrifice of 

24 



206 SERMON XU. 

his Son. We are aware, that we are now approach- 
ing ground which has been much contested. The 
doctrine which asserts the necessity and the fact of an 
atonement for sin, has been assailed by every form and 
variety of argument. But before we undertake to repel 
any of the objections which have been made to this doc- 
trine, we would direct your attention, for a moment, to a 
single point. We presume, then, that every one who 
has read the Bible, has observed, that the death of Christ 
is dwelt upon by the inspired penmen with an emphasis 
altogether peculiar. No one will attempt to deny, that 
far more importance is attached to this event, than to any 
other which the sacred Scriptures record. So unques- 
tionable is this fact, that the most candid of the rejectors 
of the doctrine of the atonement, have felt themselves 
constrained to admit, that the death of the Messiah, besides 
its use as an example of fortitude and resignation in the 
endurance of suffering, may be the means of accomplish- 
ing some higher but unknown object in the divine admin- 
istration. This they grant may be the case, though they 
contend, that it is a matter too obscurely revealed, to 
form an intelligible article of religious belief, or to exert 
a perceptible influence on religious practice. Now, while 
we admire the ingenuousness of those who make even 
this slender concession, we deeply regret that the invete- 
racy of preconceived opinions is such, as to prevent them 
from discovering that what they view as a mere possi- 
bility, the New Testament announces as an absolute and 
a glorious certainty. The sacred writers occasionally 
refer to the sufferings of Jesus as an example of fortitude 
and resignation. But they much more frequently and 
emphatically refer to those sufferings as a great transac- 
tion, in virtue of which sin may be pardoned, and sinners 
saved. They incidentally exhibit the Son of God as a 



SERMON XII. 207 

perfect model for human imitation, while they generally 
and chiefly describe him as the only Deliverer from the 
curse of a violated law. There is, therefore, great pro- 
priety and pertinency in the exhortation of an old author, 
who tells us, to "take heed, that we do not so consider 
Christ for our pattern, as to disown him for our Saviour 
and Redeemer." 

That the death of the Son of God has some peculiar 
relation to the forgiveness and acceptance of fallen man, 
is a truth the denial of which seems to lead to the con- 
clusion, that a very numerous order of scriptural passa- 
ges convey no intelligible meaning, and can be applied to 
no useful purpose. Did the prophet Isaiah, for instance, 
utter nothing more than a puerile rhapsody, when he de- 
clared, that the coming Messiah should be " wounded for 
our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities ?" Was 
Daniel beside himself, when he affirmed, that this same 
Messiah " should be cut off, but not for himself?" Or if 
it be alleged, that the prophets were accustomed to ex- 
press themselves poetically and obscurely, what shall we 
make of many of the assertions of such a plain and prosaic 
personage as the apostle Paul? He tells us, that " Christ 
died for our sins according to the Scriptures" — that he 
"put away sin by the sacrifice of himself" — that he 
"gave himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God 
for a sweet- smelling savour" — that he was " made sin for 
us, though he himself "knew no sin." The same apos- 
tle on more than one occasion represents the Lord Jesus 
as " the propitiation for our sins." These and similar 
passages that might be quoted, must, we presume, have 
some meaning. Now, they surely cannot imply, that 
Jesus of Nazareth died simply as a martyr and a pattern 
of heroic fortitude ; or, at any rate, if this be their mean- 
ing, the inevitable conclusion is, that the authors of the 



208 sermon xn. 

Bible were so strangely ignorant of the ordinary use of 
language— so singularly destitute of common sense— that 
the book which they have written is perfectly valueless, 
and can answer no other end than to produce dissensions 
and controversies respecting its contents. And are we 
prepared for this conclusion? If not, we must admit, 
that the inspired penmen meant what the phraseology 
which they have employed to express their ideas, natu- 
rally implies — that the death of Christ is a great transac- 
tion designed to obviate any difficulty which the princi- 
ples of God's moral government, and the general interests 
of the universe, might otherwise have interposed to the 
pardon of human offenders— the prominent provision and 
leading feature of a plan by which Jehovah might be just, 
and yet justify the guilty. 

It has been already intimated that various objections 
have been urged against the doctrine of the atonement. 
And nothing, brethren, is more easy than to object. It is 
by no means difficult to say, that the doctrine in question 
represents the Deity as a stern and vindictive being, who 
will bestow not a look of compassion upon his miserable 
creatures without some valuable consideration — a being 
whose laws are " written like Draco's, in blood," and who 
has "erected a gallows in the centre of the universe" for 
the " most conspicuous and terrible manifestation of his 
justice and wrath." Nor is it difficult to complain that 
this doctrine is dark and mysterious — that it supposes a 
relation to subsist between the sufferings of an innocent 
Personage, and the acquittal of the guilty, which is 
wholly incomprehensible. These, and a hundred such 
objections, we say, are easily made. But the only legiti- 
mate query, as we conceive, is, Do the sacred Scriptures 
describe the death of Christ as an atonement for sin — ait 
event eminently instrumental in procuring the forgiveness 



SERMON XII. 209 

of human offenders — a something, in short, without which 
our entire race must have been lost? If they do thus 
describe it, then there ought to be an end to all unbelief 
or doubt — the saying is a faithful one and worthy of all 
acceptation. And yet it has been too common for dispu- 
tants on this subject, to forget the point really at issue, 
and to lose themselves in abstruse and unintelligible dis- 
quisitions relative to the nature of the atonement. Breth- 
ren, we regard all disquisitions of this sort, whether they 
proceed from the heterodox, or from those who are re- 
puted orthodox, as speculations that can lead to no valu- 
able or satisfactory result. We have nothing whatever 
to do with the nature of the atonement. Our business is 
solely with the question, whether or not one has been 
made for sin. And if we find that the inspired record 
virtually answers this question in the affirmative, we are 
then bound to yield our credence to a fact so highly and 
fully authenticated, even though we are not able to clear 
up all the difficulties connected with it, which it is easy 
for ingenious minds of a sceptical turn to suggest. We 
know, that some of the most real and obvious phenomena 
in nature — even the very existence of material things — 
have been denied by some philosophers — yes, and denied 
with such an array of plausible argumentation, that their 
works remain to this day unanswered — for all the rea- 
soning of Dr. Reid on this subject, however well-meant, 
serves only to remind us of that famous definition, "Why, 
a poet is as much as one should say — a poet." And 
why have not these works been answered? Because 
our knowledge here below is limited. We know, indeed, 
that material things do actually exist. Their existence 
was known to the very metaphysicians who attempted to 
deny it. But we are unable from the imperfection of our 
mental faculties, to explain clearly and satisfactorily the 



210 SERMON XII. 

various difficulties that may be conjured around such an 
apparently simple, and, indeed, such a really simple 
question as that of the existence of a material universe. 
In like manner we know, since the God of infinite truth 
has communicated to us the information that there has 
been " opened (in virtue of the death of Christ) a fountain 
for sin and uncleanness." But we are incompetent to 
answer all the objections which acute and sophistical 
reasoners may readily array against this fact. 

Let us then, dear hearers, banish every doubt, and re- 
ceive with gratitude and joy the doctrine of the atonement. 
Let us embrace this truth as the leading principle of di- 
vine revelation — the very corner-stone of our immortal 
hopes. Let us contemplate the death of Christ, as a great 
transaction which has in some way expiated the offences 
of men. Let us behold, in the blood shed on Calvary, 
the medium of our restoration to the favour of Jehovah — 
the "fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness." True, 
we know not how that blood is capable of washing away 
our transgressions. Nor need we know. It is enough 
for us to learn, on the authority of Him who cannot lie, 
that such a relation subsists between the sufferings of 
Jesus, and the justice of Heaven, as to render the par- 
don of human culprits a safe and an honourable measure 
on the part of their offended Sovereign. There is a real, 
though an unknown something, in the circumstances at- 
tending the crucifixion of the Messiah, which has made 
it possible for the high and mighty Ruler of the universe, 
to show pity towards our rebellious race, without tarnish- 
ing his own moral purity, or affording encouragement to 
beings yet unfallen, to become the imitators of our diso- 
bedience. In other and scriptural language — God hath 
set forth his Son to be a propitiation for the remission of 
sins, in order that he might himself be just, and the jus- 
tifier of him that believeth in Jesus. 



SERMON XII. 211 

The death of Christ, then, was a satisfaction for our 
sins. Yes, and it was a full satisfaction. The offering 
which he made of himself, was infinite in value. This is 
evident from the fact of his divinity. It is also evident 
from the circumstance, that the invitations of the gospel 
are addressed, and its blessings promised, to the whole 
human family. And it is further evident from express 
declarations of the New Testament, with which you are 
all familiar, and which, therefore, we shall not now quote. 

But the provision which God has made for the salva- 
tion of men, further consists in a process of moral reno- 
vation, begun and continued in their souls through the 
agency of the Holy Grhost. And here the figurative lan- 
guage of our text becomes eminently significant. The 
gospel may well be considered as opening a great " foun- 
tain for sin and for uncleanness," since it reveals a me- 
thod by which fallen and corrupt human nature may be 
restored to its original rectitude and purity. Other sys- 
tems of religion promise forgiveness to the offender, and 
lead him to entertain a vague anticipation of happiness 
beyond the grave. But they present no consistent and 
effectual plan for reclaiming him from the influence of his 
native depravity, and rendering him fit to dwell in the 
presence of the Holy One. Numerous rites and ceremo- 
nies, however imposing in their nature, have not the 
smallest tendency to emancipate from the chains of un- 
hallowed habits. Nor can mere ethical precepts, even 
when recommended by the most attractive speculations of 
philosophy, subdue the sinister propensities, and control 
the irregular movements of a heart deceitful above all 
things and desperately wicked. The sinner " must be 
born again." He must become " a new creature." A 
great and radical change must pass upon him, ere he can 
be truly and permanently happy. The universe affords 



212 SERMON XII. 

not a solitary spot to which a being alienated in his affec- 
tions from God, may resort for tranquillity and enjoyment. 
Should the justice of heaven pursue him with no positive 
inflictions of misery, still he would be the victim of con- 
stant self-reproach — inextinguishable fire would rage in 
his bosom — he would feel the worm that never dies 
gnawing at his soul. Yes, it is certain, that without re- 
generation man can never find peace and bliss, either in 
the present or the future world. He must be renewed in 
the spirit of his mind — his moral nature must be touched 
and moulded again by the plastic hand of the Creator — 
the image of his Maker must be restored to his soul, — or 
he will remain for ever wretched. A change so complete 
and transcendent as he needs, can be effected only by the 
interposition of divine power. And, blessed be God ! he 
has made the most ample provision for such interposition. 
He is willing to exert his power in the regeneration of the 
human heart. He has opened " a fountain for sin and 
uncleanness," in which the most polluted of mankind — 
the vilest transgressor that lives on this earth — may ob- 
tain purification. He is always ready to impart the re- 
newing and sanctifying influences of his Spirit, to those 
who sincerely desire and earnestly implore them. No 
individual ever put up to the throne of his heavenly Fa- 
ther the ingenuous petition, " Create in me a clean heart, 
O God ! and renew a right spirit within me," — and met 
with a refusal, or an unkind reception. The uniform lan- 
guage of Jehovah is, " Ask, and ye shall receive." 

The doctrine which asserts the necessity of a divine 
operation on the human heart, like the doctrine of the 
atonement, has been much objected to. It has been con- 
tended, that those passages of Scripture which seem to 
speak of such an operation, are nothing more, in reality, 
than figurative allusions to the effect of moral suasion. 



SERMON XII. 213 

But we submit it to the common sense of every unpre- 
judiced person, whether the language of the sacred writers 
on this subject, is not entirely too strong to be explained 
away in any such manner. " A fountain for sin and un- 
cleanness" — "born again" — "a new creature" — "the 
workmanship of God" — " temples of the Holy Ghost" — 
" washed and sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus, 
and by the Spirit of our God." Are these tropes and 
metaphors ? If they be — why then, farewell to all our 
religious knowledge derived from the Bible. On the 
same principle, it may easily be shown that the resurrec- 
tion of the body — the immortality of the soul — the minis- 
try of Christ — and, in fact, the very being of Deity — are 
mere figures — the embellishments of rhetoric. 

Brethren, it becomes us all to be grateful to God, for 
the provision which he has made for our recovery from 
guilt and moral defilement. O! let us not cease to thank 
the beneficent Author of our being, that he has not left us 
unpitied, to perish in our trangressions. Let us rejoice 
that " a fountain" has been " opened for sin and for un- 
cleanness." Let us call upon our souls and all that is 
within us, to bless and praise Jehovah for those ani- 
mating promises of pardon and sanctification, which the 
precious volume of his grace contains. 

Nor let us be contented with geueral emotions of gra- 
titude, elicited by the view of what God has done for the 
benefit of mankind. It will be of no advantage to us, 
dear hearers, that " a fountain" has been " opened for 
sin and for uncleanness," unless we actually betake our- 
selves to this fountain, and obtain the application of its 
purifying streams to our polluted souls. And ! have 
we done this? Have we secured an interest in the blood 
of Christ? Have our numberless offences against our 
Maker been pardoned? Have we been regenerated? 

25 



214 SERMON XII 

Have old things in us passed away, and all things be- 
come new? Do we now love God supremely? Can we 
say that we give to him undivided hearts ? Can we look 
up to him and exclaim, " Whom have we in heaven but 
thee ? and there is none upon earth that we desire besides 
thee ?" Happy they who can answer such queries to the 
satisfaction of their own consciences ! 

Brethren, these and similar queries are particularly im- 
portant to those among you who have made a public and 
solemn profession of faith, and contemplate a renewal of 
this profession on the next Sabbath. Then the table of 
the Lord will be again spread. Then the great fountain for 
sin and for uncleanness will be exhibited, in significant and 
affecting emblem, to your view. Prepare, communicants, 
prepare for the scene that is before you. Examine your- 
selves, and so eat of that bread, and drink of that cup, 
which represent the body of Christ broken, and his blood 
shed for the remission of sins. Compare your lives — not 
merely your external conduct, but the temper of your 
minds, and state of your hearts — with the requirements 
of the holy volume. And remember, too, that in this, as 
in all other matters, you can do nothing without the aid 
of your heavenly Father. To him let your supplication 
arise — " Search us, O God, and know our hearts ; try 
us, and know our thoughts; and see if there be any 
wicked way in us, and lead us in the way everlasting." 

And what shall we say to those who have not yet come 
to the fountain for sin and uncleanness — who forsake this 
fountain of living waters, and hew out for themselves 
cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water? We 
entreat you, dear hearers, to pause, and reflect upon the 
inevitable consequences of your present career. Believe 
us, there is no pardon for the guilty — there is no sanctifi- 
cation for the polluted — there is no happiness for the 



SERMON XII. 215 

miserable — except what the gospel of Christ reveals. His 
name is the only one by which you can be saved. And 
in him there is complete and final salvation. It matters 
not what may be the nature or the number of your trans- 
gressions. The blood of (rod's Son can cleanse from all sin. 
There is no human being on this side of eternity, who need 
apprehend that his offences are too numerous and aggra- 
vated to be forgiven — that the stains of moral defilement 
are too deeply wrought into his soul, to be washed out. O 
no! The fountain spoken of in our text, has efficacy enough 
to purify every sinner that repairs to its streams. Its 
current springs from those heights of benevolence and 
glory, on which the Deity himself sits enthroned, and 
comes down to earth with an impetus, a fulness, and 
a power, sufficient to overflow the loftiest mountains of 
human guilt and depravity. Here, then, ye prisoners of 
hope, is your encouragement. Banish every thing like 
despair from your bosoms. The voice of love and mercy 
this morning sounds to cheer and to invite you. Listen 
to its heaven-born accents: — "Come now, and let us 
reason together, saith the Lord ; though your sins be as 
scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, and though they 
be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." 



SERMON XIII. 

LUKE XVI. 1 9. 

"And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a 
steward; and the same was accused unto him, that he had wasted his goods. 
And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? 
give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. 
Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh 
away from me the stewardship; I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. I am 
resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may re- 
ceive me into their houses. So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto 
him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he 
said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and 
sit down quickly and write fifty. Then said he to another, And how much 
owest thou 5 And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto 
him, Take thy bill and write fourscore. And the lord commended the un- 
just steward, because he had done wisely; for the children of this world 
are in their generation wiser than the children of light. And I say unto you, 
Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when 
ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations." 

The generality of infidel writers have admitted, that 
the morality of the gospel is pure and unexceptionable. 
And yet there have not been wanting those, who have 
assumed a different and bolder ground. The Bible has 
been openly characterized by one who was himself the 
pollution and disgrace of every community in which he 
moved, as "the most immoral book in the world." 
This extravagant and blasphemous language was used 
by its author principally in reference to the Old Testa- 
ment. But even the New Testament has not entirely 
escaped detraction. The very instructions that fell from 
the lips of the Son of (rod have been objected to, as not 
uniformly in accordance with the principles of rectitude. 



SERMON XIII. 217 

Thus the parable which we have just read to you, has 
been condemned on the ground that it is calculated to 
encourage fraud, by the terms of approbation in which it 
relates the conduct of a dishonest steward. We can 
readily conceive, that to the casual reader, there may be 
a semblance of plausibility in this objection. We have, 
therefore, thought, that it might not be uninteresting nor 
unprofitable to attempt a correct exposition of a passage 
of Scripture, which is liable to misapprehension, but 
which, when rightly understood, will be found highly in- 
structive in its scope and tendency. 

" There was a certain rich man who had a steward, 
and the same was accused unto him, that he had wasted 
his goods." 

This verse accurately and strikingly delineates the re- 
lation which we all sustain to God. We may be con- 
sidered as his stewards, because every thing that we pos- 
sess belongs in reality to him. We are his property in 
the most unrestricted sense of the term. Our existence 
was derived from him in the first instance. His eyes be- 
held our substance yet being imperfect ; and in his book 
all our members w r ere written, which in continuance were 
fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. He 
clothed us with skin and flesh, and fenced us with bones 
and sinews. He endued us with the thinking and feel- 
ing principle, whatever it is, which animates and ennobles 
our material frame. By his kind and untiring providence 
too, we have ever since been preserved in being. To his 
bounty we owe every corporeal comfort, and every intel- 
lectual enjoyment. The food that we eat, and the rai- 
ment that we wear — the lands and the houses that we are 
accustomed to call our own — the gold and silver that we 
have laid up in our coffers — the knowledge that we have 
acquired — the reputation and honours that we have won 



218 SERMON XIII. 

— the children around whom our tenderest affections and 
fondest hopes revolve — these are all the gifts of Jehovah. 
Human arithmetic would fail to enumerate the various 
obligations under which his benignity has brought us. 
We have not a single possession, for which we are not 
indebted to the Creator and sovereign Proprietor of the 
universe. 

Again, the steward in the parable was accused of 
squandering the goods of his employer. And, brethren, 
may not a similar accusation be preferred against each 
one of us? As the stewards of God, we are bound to 
take care of the various talents with which he has en- 
trusted us. Any misuse of these talents must render us 
obnoxious to his displeasure. He has been pleased to 
confide them to our safe keeping, and, of course, the waste 
or neglect of them must be viewed and punished by him 
as a breach of trust. In short, our Maker has a most 
equitable and cogent claim to the highest services that we 
can render ; he is fairly entitled to put in requisition for 
his own pleasure, and the promotion of his own glory, all 
the faculties of body and of mind, which he has bestowed 
upon us. Now is it not a fact, that we are exceedingly 
prone to deny — if not with our lips, at least by our con- 
duct — that he is our rightful Master? How frequently 
do we act without the least reference to his will ! How 
proudly does the feeling of independence arise in our 
bosoms ! And how arrogantly does the general tenour of 
our deportment say, "What is the Almighty that we 
should serve him ? and what profit should we have, if we 
pray unto him ?" Yes, we all waste, in a greater or less 
degree, the blessings which a bountiful providence has 
conferred upon us. What noble endowments of the mind 
and heart, not to speak of inferior advantages, have been 
ruined and destroyed by intemperance ! Can you conceive 



SERMON XIII. 219 

of a more profligate and disgraceful expenditure of Heaven's 
favours, than may be laid to the charge of those, who, in 
the expressive language of Solomon, " tarry long at the 
wine?" O! how should the thought, that they are the 
stewards of God, dash from their lips the intoxicating gob- 
let, and drive them humble, broken-hearted penitents 
from the scene of dissipation ! There are also those who 
prostitute the best gifts of Jehovah to the purposes of an 
inordinate ambition, sacrificing the favour of the Creator 
to the applause and admiration of his creatures. There 
are others who frustrate the benevolent designs of the Al- 
mighty by hoarding up for the gratification of avarice, 
that wealth which he placed at their disposal, in order 
that they might have the opportunity of augmenting their 
own happiness by contributing to the happiness of others. 
We might likewise refer to the conduct of those whose 
career is a round of frivolous occupations and amuse- 
ments, styled in most appropriate phraseology, so many 
modes of ¥ killing time." But it would be no easy task 
to enumerate all the different ways in which men waste 
the mercies of heaven. In general it may be observed that 
the promotion of the Divine glory is the great end of our 
being, and that thus, so. far as we act without a due refer- 
ence to this end, are we chargeable with the guilt of dis- 
sipating the property of Him, whose we are, and whom 
we are bound to serve. 

We are not, however, to imagine, that nothing more is 
required of us, as the stewards of God, than merely that 
we should not waste or neglect the talents which he has 
put into our possession. This is a part of our duty. But 
it is not all our duty. More, much more is demanded 
by our Master in heaven. He calls for the judicious and 
assiduous improvement of his talents. And here we may 
refer, in illustration and support of this position, to 



220 SERMON XIII. 

another of the parables of our Lord, in which the king- 
dom of heaven is compared to a certain person, who pre- 
vious to his departure for some distant region, left his 
property in charge with three servants. To one he gave 
five talents ; to another two ; and to a third one. They 
who received the five and the two talents, presented, on 
the return of their lord, double the amount confided to 
them: thus evincing, that they had been prudently 
and diligently employed during his absence. They were 
accordingly commended as good and faithful servants, 
and promised an abundant reward. But he who received 
the one talent, approached his master with this pitiful 
speech : " Lord, I knew thee, that thou art an hard man, 
reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where 
thou hast not strawed ; and I was afraid, and went and 
hid thy talent in the earth : lo, there thou hast that is 
thine." Mark his lord's indignant reply: "Thou wicked 
and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I 
sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed; thou 
oughtest, therefore, to have put my money to the exchang- 
ers, and then at my coming, I should have received mine 
own with usury." With what point and energy are we 
here taught, that it is not enough merely to retain the 
talents with which (rod has entrusted us, so as to be able 
to return them to him, in the day of final settlement, in 
the same state in which they came into our hands ! The 
precept of our divine Master is, "Occupy till I come." 
He demands the improvement of the favours which he 
confers. We must not only avoid the deterioration of his 
gifts, but we must evince our gratitude for their possession, 
and our high estimation of their value, by employing them 
as instruments for the promotion of his glory. 

Let us now return to the parable before us : " And he 
called him, and said unto him, How is it, that 1 hear this 



SERMON XIII. 22 i 

of thee? give an account of thy stewardship, for thou 
inayest be no longer steward." 

The great practical truth inculcated in this verse, is 
that of human accountability. The very idea of our being 
the stewards of God, implies that we are responsible to 
him for the use that we make of the talents with which 
he has entrusted us. The truth is one which conscience 
forces us to admit. Every individual feels that he is a moral 
agent — the subject of reward and punishment. There is 
something within him which declares, in language too 
plain to be mistaken, too loud and imperious to be wholly 
unheeded, that he is amenable to a Being of infinite recti- 
tude and purity, not only for his external deportment, but 
for the emotions which he cherishes in his heart, and the 
thoughts which he entertains in his mind. He has an 
innate conviction on this subject, which he vainly endea- 
vours to eradicate from his moral system — a conviction 
which survives the ravages of sin, triumphs over the 
speculations of philosophy, and points the transgressor to 
the retributions of eternity. 

The sacred Scriptures not only assert, with peculiar 
emphasis, the general truth of man's accountability, but 
they also inform us, that a period is approaching, in which 
the whole human family shall be arraigned for trial at 
the bar of God. They assure us, that a day has been 
appointed for judging the world in righteousness — a day 
in which the supreme Ruler of the universe shall be 
seated on his throne, and before him shall be assembled 
all the individuals of our race. Then the books shall be 
opened, and each one of us shall be tried according to the 
things written in those books. Every work shall be 
brought into judgment, with every secret thing, whether 
it be good or bad. Nothing shall elude the scrutiny of 
our Maker. The untold history of the heart shall be 

26 



222 sermon xni. 

submitted to the inspection, and published in the audience, 
of congregated millions. Sins committed in the deep 
gloom of midnight, and of which the authors would have 
blushed to think that even the stars of heaven were wit- 
nessing them, shall be exposed to the view of the universe, 
amid the blaze of ten thousand suns. Transgressors of 
every description and of every order — from the murderer 
of myriads, to the murderer of a solitary individual — 
from the despot of a whole community, to the despot of a 
single family — from the plunderer of nations, to the con- 
vict whose first attempt at robbery consigned him to the 
gallows — the calumniator, the adulterer, the blasphemer, 
the profaner of the Sabbath, the miser, the spendthrift, 
and the idler — however various their degrees of crimi- 
nality — must all appear to receive their sentence and 
their doom at the judgment seat of Christ. 

How solemn and impressive, dear hearers, is the truth 
to which we are endeavouring to direct your attention ! 
We are now stewards. But we shall not always be so ; 
or at least not in the same sense in which we are at pre- 
sent. A crisis awaits us, (and God only knows how near 
it may be,) in which we must surrender up our trust, and 
give in an account of our stewardship. Have we received 
from the Creator peculiar endowments of mind? or has 
Providence furnished us with ample opportunities for 
mental improvement? Then must we account for these 
advantages. Do we possess extensive wealth, or con- 
siderable influence in society? We must likewise ac- 
count for these advantages. Are we parents? If so, we 
shall have a heavy account to render for the effect which 
our precepts, and especially our example, have had on 
the moral character and the eternal destiny of our chil- 
dren. Are we hearers of the gospel, and have we neglect- 
ed the great salvation which it proffers to our acceptance? 



SERMON XIII. 223 

Ah! who can conceive the reckoning which we shall 
have with our divine Lord, for the abuse of this ines- 
timable privilege! Gladly, under such circumstances, 
would we exchange conditions with the inhabitants of 
Tyre and Sidon — of Sodom and Gomorrah. 

We proceed now to contemplate the conduct of the 
steward, on receiving the summons to deliver up his trust. 
We are told that he said within himself, "What shall I 
do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship : 
I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed." After further re- 
flection on his situation, he added — " 1 am resolved what 
to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they 
may receive me into their houses." The expedient which 
he devised, is thus related by the Saviour : " So he call- 
ed every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and he said 
unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And 
he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto, 
him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. 
Then said he unto another, And how much owest thou? 
And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he 
said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore." — 
The plain English of all this is, that the steward deter- 
mined to provide for his support, after his dismission, by 
defrauding his employer. For this purpose, he called 
together his lord's debtors, or, as the original term 
might be rendered, tenants, and inquired of them the 
amount of their debts. We may account for the circum- 
stance of this matter being left to them for decision, by 
supposing that the debts in question, were their rents, 
which were to be paid in the produce of the soil they 
cultivated. To these tenants, the steward remitted a con- 
siderable part of what was due, entering into a settlement 
with them before he had been actually discharged from 
1 :« see w.a rcl sliin? and while his acts would consequently 



224 SERMON XIII. 

be binding on his master. Some have imagined, that by 
such conduct he merely made amends for his former in- 
justice towards them. However this may have been, his 
object manifestly was to ingratiate himself with those 
whose debts he thus curtailed, so that after his dismis- 
sion, he might have some title to their friendly offices. 

We next read, "The lord commended the unjust 
steward, because he had done wisely." Now, the first 
remark we have to offer on this passage, is, that it was 
not the Saviour who commended the unjust steward, but 
his employer. The objectors to the morality of the para- 
ble, have too frequently overlooked this important dis- 
tinction. Again, we would observe, that the commendation 
bestowed upon the unjust steward, was a commendation, 
not of the fraud which he had committed, but simply of 
the prudence and sagacity which he had displayed, in 
planning for his own interests. It is expressly said, that 
his lord commended him "because he had done wisely." 

The remainder of the verse may be considered as the 
observation of Christ: "For the children of this world 
are in their generation"— (or, as a judicious translator ren- 
ders the original, "in conducting their affairs") — "wiser 
than the children of light." 

We perceive, then, that it was by no means the design 
of the Saviour, in the delivery of this parable, to counte- 
nance any species of injustice. He always enjoined 
upon his followers, the strictest integrity in their inter- 
course with one another, and in their dealings with the 
world at large. He laid down an admirable maxim for 
the regulation of their conduct, in all the various transac- 
tions of life, when he directed them to do to others, pre- 
cisely as they would have others to do to them. We more- 
over know, that in his own example, he displayed the 
most rigid and scrupulous honesty 5 for an instance is 



SERMON XIII. 225 

mentioned by his biographers, in which, when the pay- 
ment of a certain tax was demanded of him, he unhesi- 
tatingly yielded to the exaction, although he was aware, 
that so far as respected himself, it was illegal. So pro- 
per did he deem it to avoid any thing which might even 
look like a departure from rectitude. 

Brethren, we would not omit this opportunity of 
stating, in the most explicit manner, that every kind of 
fraud and injustice is repugnant to the precepts and the 
spirit of the sacred Scriptures. The servant who pilfers 
the groceries or the sweetmeats of her mistress — -the ap- 
prentice who keeps himself in pocket-money from his 
master's drawer — the tradesman who asks an unreason- 
able profit on his goods — the bankrupt who lays by for 
his own use any portion of his property — may rest assur- 
ed, that their conduct is minutely observed, and will be 
severely punished by the God whose law is promulged 
in this holy volume. Even the Old Testament, which, 
for reasons that might be given, exhibits a less elevated 
standard of morality than the New, is not without pas- 
sages which represent dishonesty in all its forms, as a sin 
peculiarly offensive to the divine Being. Hear, for ex- 
ample, what is written in the book of Deuteronomy: 
" Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great 
and a small. Thou shalt not have in thy house divers 
measures, a great and a small. But thou shalt have a 
perfect and just weight; a perfect and just measure shalt 
thou have : that thy days may be lengthened in the land 
which the Lord thy God giveth thee. For all that do such 
things, and all that do unrighteously, are an abomination 
unto the Lord thy God." 

It is now time to meet the very natural inquiry, What 
was the object of the Saviour in the delivery of the para- 
ble under consideration? We answer, that his object 



226 SERMON XIII. 

was to exhibit the foresight of the steward in providing 
for his temporal interests, as a pattern worthy of our imita- 
tion in providingfor our spiritual interests. The force of our 
Lord's argument is briefly this : If prudence in a matter 
of comparatively little moment, and even when united 
with injustice, be commendable, how much more deserving 
of commendation is prudence in the great business of re- 
ligion ? 

Such is the true moral of the parable; and in enforcing 
this moral on his disciples, Jesus added, " And I say 
unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of 
unrighteousness, that when ye fail," (or, " when ye are 
discharged from your stewardship") " they may receive 
you into everlasting habitations." The expression, H mam- 
mon of unrighteousness," is in the Hebrew idiom, and 
may be translated, " the unrighteous mammon," that is 
false or deceitful riches. Now, we are not to imagine, 
that the Saviour here sanctions the notion, that wealth 
may purchase eternal happiness. He does not intend to 
convey the impression, that riches, whether acquired by 
dishonest or by honest means, may be so employed by their 
possessors as to entitle them, in the strict sense of the 
term, to the favour of God, and the joys of heaven. His 
language, in this place, must be understood in accordance 
with the leading idea of the parable, and must, therefore, 
be interpreted as a general direction to render all the 
temporal blessings of providence subservient to the ad- 
vancement of our spiritual interests. Do we possess 
wealth? We are required to use it in a manner calcu- 
lated to promote the glory of God, and the welfare of man. 
By so doing we shall confer the highest and most lasting 
benefit on our own souls. We shall make to ourselves 
many friends in this world, and, what is of infinitely 
greater consequence, we shall secure a Friend in heaven, 



SERMON XIII. 227 

who, when the term of our stewardship on earth shall 
have expired, will receive us into the everlasting 
habitations above. Although there is nothing intrinsi- 
cally meritorious to the view of Deity in the purest and 
most self-denying exercises of human benevolence, yet 
such exercises, being at once the fruit and the evidence of 
piety, may be considered, in an humble sense, as the in- 
struments by which the divine approbation is procured. 
The final salvation of an individual is the reward, not, 
indeed, of debt, but of grace. Still, however, it is truly 
a reward. 

We have said, that the prominent truth inculcated in 
this parable, is the importance of a wise and diligent at- 
tention to our spiritual and eternal interests. The saga- 
city of the unjust steward deserves our imitation in 
the transaction of a business which admits of no injus- 
tice. When the blessings of religion form the grand object 
of our pursuit, we may copy his prudence without the least 
danger of being induced to copy his fraudulent conduct. 
The concerns of the soul are of such a description, that 
he who would manage them to any useful purpose, not 
only may, but must combine all the wisdom of the serpent 
with all the harmlessness of the dove. 

And here let us think, just for a moment, of the sa- 
gacity and industry, which men exhibit in their various 
secular avocations. First, behold the merchant. With 
what zeal and assiduity does he devote himself to the ac- 
cumulation of wealth ! And with what penetration does 
he frequently anticipate the never-ceasing fluctuations of 
trade — the constant rise and fall in the prices of merchan- 
dize ! Next look at the politician. With what intense 
and irresistible energy does he grasp at the gilded sha- 
dows of ambition ! Mark the intuitive glance with which 



228 SERMON XIII. 

he developes the stratagems of faction — the prophetic 
spirit with which he reads the distant future, and accom- 
modates his plans to events which he knows that the 
revolutions of time must bring to pass. Contemplate also 
the votary of science, and candidate for literary distinc- 
tion. See him consecrating the hours which others con- 
sume in sleep, or employ in inferior occupations, to the 
acquisition of knowledge. Observe the anxious and un- 
tiring ardour with which he prosecutes the one absorbing 
object of his thoughts, his desires, and his hopes. The 
setting sun leaves him at his task, and the morning star 
witnesses the renewal of his toil. 

Thus it is, that men " labour for the meat that perish- 
eth." They rise early, sit up late, and eat the bread of 
sorrows," in order to secure the precarious wealth, the 
fading honours, and the unsatisfying pleasures of earth. 
Would to God that they manifested the same sagacity and 
zeal and perseverance, in attending to the momentous 
concerns of religion ! But alas ! " the children of this 
world are in their generation wiser than the children of 
light." 

We shall not undertake, on this occasion, to enforce 
the practical lesson of the text, by showing, that the 
business of our salvation is infinitely the most important 
in which we can embark. But we must not conclude, 
without observing — and we shall do so in a single word 
— that there is a certainty of success connected with wise 
and strenuous efforts in this business, which attends the 
prosecution of no other pursuit. The merchant, the 
politician and the scholar are subject to disappointments 
from various sources. Bankruptcy may befall the first, 
and loss of popularity the second, while a broken con- 
stitution is the frequent lot of the third. But in sincere 



SERMON XIII. 229 

and unremitting endeavours to advance our spiritual in- 
terests, there can be no failure. Such endeavours must 
and will prevail. There has never been an instance, in 
which they proved ineffectual. As surely as God is true, 
the man who seeks shall find, and to him that knocks the 
door of heaven shall be opened. 

No apology, dear hearers, is requisite for the subject 
to which your attention has now been directed. We are 
all — believers as well as unbelievers — too much disposed 
to remissness and indolence with regard to the concerns 
of our souls. Our consciences testify, that we need to be 
often admonished of our awful delinquency and infatua- 
tion in this matter. If a heathen nation deemed it expedi- 
ent always to place a human skeleton at the festive board, 
to prevent the guests from forgetting that they must die — 
if a heathen monarch caused a herald to exclaim three 
times a day in his ears, " Philip of Macedon, thou art 
mortal!" — how useful must it be to inculcate a similar 
lesson frequently and earnestly upon Christians! They 
cannot be too constantly reminded, in the midst of busi- 
ness and of pleasure, of that injunction from the lips of 
their Saviour : " Seek first the kingdom of God, and his 
righteousness, and all other things shall be added ur/o 
you." 

And here, brethren, permit us affectionately to ask you, 
whether it is not most unwise to manifest so much ardour 
in temporal concerns, while you are comparatively ne- 
glectful of your spiritual interests? What a great — what 
a ruinous — delusion ! Have you yet to learn, that it will 
profit a man nothing to gain the whole world and lose his 
own soul ! Can you need to be informed, that religion 
is the only effectual support under the inflictions of life — 
the only real source of serenity and joy in the crisis of 

27 



230 SERMON XIII. 

death ? Wretched, indeed, must be the last moments of 
him who has misspent his days in the pursuit of this 
world's vanities. Not the recollection of the past, and 
still less the anticipation of the future, can administer the 
least solace to his mind. He is conscious, that he is ut- 
terly unprepared to render an account of his stewardship. 
He knows, that he has squandered the mercies of heaven. 
The representative of Deity within his breast — a faith- 
ful and terrific monitor — points him to the blessings of 
providence which he has abused — to the means of grace 
which he has neglected. Memory, at the call of con- 
science, holds up to his view a mirror of his sins, from 
the contemplation of which he would, if it were possible, 
speed his flight to the utmost verge of the universe. 
Miserable being! his soul is required of him, and he can 
neither avoid nor delay the summons. Willingly and 
eagerly would he part with all that the world had ever 
done for him, to obtain the respite of a single year — a 
single day — a single hour! But divine justice frowns 
indignant at the mere suggestion of such a barter. Weep- 
ing relatives and pious friends mingle their entreaties to 
the Father of mercy, that the dying culprit's term of pro- 
bation may be only a little lengthened. Still the lan- 
guage of God is, " Cut him down ; why cumbereth he 
the ground ?" 

We beseech you, then, dear hearers, to act a wiser 
part. O! let it be your primary object to make your 
peace with God, and prepare for the solemnities of judg- 
ment, and the realities of the eternity that follows. De- 
fer not — we beg you to defer not — this business till the 
hour of death. Justly has it been called, " the work of 
a life-time, and too great a work for a life-time." We 
can assure you, that you have not a moment to lose. 



5ERM0N XIII. 231 

All the time that you can possibly employ — all the effort 
that you can possibly put forth — will not do more than 
save you from destruction. Now is the crisis of your 
fate. To day is the season of salvation. " Seek ye the 
Lord while he may be found ; call ye upon him while he 
is near. — Boast not thyself of to-morrow, for thou know- 
est not what a day may bring forth." 



SERMON XIV. 






MARK X. 17 22. 



"And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and 
kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may 
inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? 
there is none good but one, that is God. Thou knowest the commandments: 
Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, 
Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto 
him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding 
him, loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest; go thy way, sell 
whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in 
heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at 
that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions." 

We shall first lay before you a brief review of the cir- 
cumstances here presented to our consideration, and then 
dwell a little upon the practical lesson which the passage 
so impressively inculcates. 

The ministry of our divine Lord excited an uncommon 
degree of attention throughout his native country. Wher- 
ever he appeared as a teacher, vast numbers crowded 
about him, and listened with the deepest interest to his 
instructions. His auditors also frequently made free to 
interrogate him respecting religious subjects; and he 
never failed, except where the inquiry manifestly pro- 
ceeded from an improper motive, or related to a topic of 
no practical importance, to return a prompt, a kind, and 
a satisfactory answer. Several instances occur in the 
New Testament, of conversations between Christ and 
persons who took the liberty of consulting him, and ask- 
ing his opinion in respect to matters involving the present 



SERMON XIV. 233 

duty or the future destiny of man. In the case now be- 
fore us, the inquirer was an individual of wealth and 
consideration, whose moral character would seem to have 
been what we are accustomed to call unblemished. There 
is no reason to presume that he approached our Lord 
with any sinister or unworthy object in view. His whole 
demeanour was marked by ingenuousness, and indicated 
an unfeigned desire for information and improvement. 
He was not like the pert lawyer, who stood up and 
tempted Jesus, demanding what he must do to inherit 
eternal life, and for whose benefit the Saviour told the 
story of the benevolent Samaritan. Nor did he resemble 
the cunning and malignant hypocrites, who, on a certain 
occasion, were so anxious to find out whether it was law- 
ful for them, conscientious men, to pay tribute to Caesar. 
In short, he must be looked upon as a young man correct 
in his life, and amiable in his manners, whose application 
to Christ was, in all respects, candid and commendable. 
This inquirer, we are told, came to Jesus running — 
a circumstance characteristic of the ardour and impe- 
tuosity of youth. We are likewise informed, that he 
kneeled to our Lord — conduct which showed that he en- 
tertained the most profound respect for the personage 
whom he was going to consult. — He further manifested 
his sincere regard for Christ by the appellation with 
which he addressed him, " Good Master." — And what 
was the query which he had to propose? It was one of 
the very highest importance, and ran in such terms as 
these, "What shall I do, that I may inherit eternal life?" 
Every one who considers himself as an accountable agent, 
and believes that when he is done with this world, his 
existence shall be prolonged indefinitely in another state, 
must admit the momentousness of the question here re- 
corded. To discover the method by which peace and 



234 SERMON XIV. 

happiness after death are to be obtained — to know the 
precise course which we are required by our Maker to 
pursue, as the means of securing his favour, and ulti- 
mately raising us to his presence in the regions of perpe- 
tual light and bliss — is surely an object, compared with 
which, all the other objects of human pursuit dwindle 
into insignificance. And O! how unutterable the folly — 
how teeming with perils the condition — of him, who 
never thinks it worth his while to inquire, how he is to 
make provision for the exigencies of a coming eternity! 

The language of this young man, " What shall I do ?" 
taken in connexion with all the circumstances attending 
his interview with Christ, is an evidence that he was 
under the influence of the same error into which his coun- 
trymen had generally fallen, and believed that future 
happiness was to be purely the result and reward of hu- 
man exertions. He did not ask whether the divine favour 
could be obtained by the doing of some good thing — the 
performance of one or more virtuous, and pious, and 
benevolent deeds. This he took for granted. It was a 
point relative to which he entertained not the least doubt. 
And so most men, or, perhaps, we should rather say, all 
men, before they feel the power of evangelical truth, and 
become Christians in the strict and peculiar sense of the 
term, conceive that a rigidly moral deportment, especially 
when united to certain religious observances, will be suffi- 
cient to procure eternal life from a merciful Divinity. We 
know, indeed, that they will not always say that such is 
their creed. But then they act, they live as if it was; and 
that amounts to the same thing. 

Our Lord, before proceeding to answer directly the 
question proposed to him, made a remark by no means 
inappropriate, suggested by the manner in which he had 
been addressed. " Why callest thou me good? there is 



SERMON XIV. 235 

none good but one, that is God." In the passage parallel 
to this, in Matthew's Gospel, a different reading is ex- 
hibited by some of the best manuscripts and most ancient 
versions — " Why dost thou ask me concerning the good 
which thou must do ?" To this reading an eminent critic 
objects, that it furnishes a less pertinent and intelligible 
reply, than what we have in Mark and Luke. But the 
weight of authority in its favour, is too great to be coun- 
terbalanced by a consideration of this kind, even if there 
were more intrinsic force in the objection than we think 
there is. The truth is, that the scope and spirit of the 
Saviour's answer, are not essentially affected by the dif- 
ference in the readings. It was his object to show the 
young querist, that there was no connexion between eter- 
nal life, and the merit of human conduct. Now, to attain 
this object, the heavenly Teacher began by asserting, as 
a fundamental principle, that the only being in the uni- 
verse really good, was God. To no other does absolute 
and independent goodness belong. His creatures all de- 
rive from him, whatever rectitude and purity they may, 
at any time, possess ; and consequently they can do no- 
thing to deserve, in the proper sense of the word, his ap- 
probation. Every blessing that they enjoy is a pure 
gratuity on the part of " the Father of lights ;" and so 
must be every blessing to which they can ever attain. 
After they have done the utmost that they can possibly 
effect, they are unprofitable servants. Their highest 
merit consists in this, that they have employed the means 
which their Creator confers, in acquitting themselves, to 
some humble degree, of the obligations under which his 
bounty has brought them. Such, briefly, is the nature, 
and such the precise amount, of human desert. And O ! 
will any one of you, dear hearers, rely on this for salva- 
tion ? Tell us, will you attach the fearful destinies of an 



236 



SERMON XIV. 



undying soul, to such a brittle thread? Ah! you might 
as well throw yourself over the brow of the precipice, and 
trust to the strength of the spider's web to preserve you 
from destruction. 

We have seen, then, that the first remark of our Lord 
involved an exposure of the mistaken views on religion, 
embraced by this young inquirer. — The Saviour's next 
observation was, " Thou knowest the commandments ;" 
or, as the Evangelist Matthew has it, "But if thou wilt 
enter into life, keep the commandments." This language, 
of course, cannot be understood as implying, that the 
happiness of heaven may be merited by a regular and 
faithful observance of the precepts of the moral law. 
Jesus certainly intended to convey no such idea as this. 
But he thought that it might be well to take the querist 
on the ground which he had selected for himself — to rea- 
son with him, for a moment, on his own principles. He 
therefore referred him to the decalogue, which consists of 
an admirable summary of all our moral and religious 
duties. There can be no doubt, that if it were in any 
respect practicable for man to purchase the favourable 
regards of his Maker, a result so desirable and important 
could be connected only with a tenour of faultless and 
perpetual obedience to this heaven-descended code. To 
this effect speaks the apostle : " If there had been a law 
given, that could have given life, verily righteousness 
would have been by the law." — Besides, the decalogue 
is one of the scriptural tests by which we are to try our 
conduct, for the purpose of ascertaining whether we are 
in the way to heaven. It is a rule of duty — a standard 
of rectitude — without which we cannot advance a single 
step in the great work of self-examination. You would 
like to know, anxious man, what is your chance for sal- 
vation. You would give us any thing, if we could only 



SERMON XIV. 



237 



take down the massy book of God's decrees, and 
remove your doubts, by assuring you that your name 
has a place in the register of the redeemed. We cannot 
do this. But we can put you in a way of obtaining the 
information which you seek almost as certainly and as ac- 
curately. We demand, then, whether you obey the moral 
law — obey it, we mean, in the spirit, no less than in the 
letter of it? Urge this query upon your conscience, re- 
membering, at the same time, that the code of duties to 
which we refer, is designed to control the thoughts and 
emotions of the mind, as well as the actual movements 
of the body — a system of precepts, which, besides de- 
nouncing crime in the later and grosser stages of commis- 
sion, extends its interdictions to the earliest impulses — 
the incipient propensities of the spiritual being. If you 
thus keep the commandments of God — not perfectly, in- 
deed, but so as to avoid the known and habitual violation 
of them in any one point — you shall inherit eternal life. 
Your obedience, though it is far, very far from investing 
you with a title to everlasting happiness, is an evidence, 
that you have an interest in the blood of Christ, and have 
been regenerated by the Spirit of the Most High. No 
one can observe the decalogue, in that strict and compre- 
hensive sense of its requirements on which the New Tes- 
tament insists, who does not also possess, at least in some 
humble degree, the entire assemblage of moral or reli- 
gious qualities for which the Redeemer looks in his de- 
voted followers. He who takes the law of Sinai for the 
rule of his life and of his heart, will ever be an individual, 
whose soul has been visited with penitence for sin, whose 
expectations of pardon rest on the death and intercession 
of Jesus, and in whose bosom love to God, with all its 
kindred sympathies, has become the master feeling. 
Thus we see, that the Saviour did not act improperly, 

28 



238 SERMON XIV. 

nor inconsistently with the spirit of the evangelical dis- 
pensation, when he referred this inquirer to the moral 
law, and repeated to him some of the most prominent of 
its requirements — "Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, 
Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, 
Honour thy father and mother." 

The ingenuous youth, on hearing these command- 
ments, promptly averred, that he had kept them all from 
his earliest years. We are not to consider this declara- 
tion as the offspring of vanity or arrogance. His con- 
science did not reproach him with the open and literal 
transgression of any one precept pertaining to the deca- 
logue. He well knew, that he had never been guilty of 
what the world accounts and calls adultery, murder, theft, 
slander, fraud, or disobedience to parents ; and surely it 
was not unbefitting for him confidently to say so. He had 
no just conceptions relative to the spirituality of the divine 
law. He was not aware, that it demanded more than ex- 
ternal compliance with its injunctions, and so far he was 
sure, that he had not been delinquent. Instead of in- 
dulging in any thing like gross or obvious sin, he had, 
from his very youth, been assiduous in the cultivation of 
every moral virtue, and the observance of every religious 
institution. And he conceived, that in so doing he had 
fully obeyed the whole will of heaven, as revealed in the 
writings of Moses and the prophets. 

Our Lord, pleased with the good qualities of this young 
inquirer, and pitying the error into which he had fal- 
len, is described as contemplating him with more than 
ordinary interest. We are told, that " Jesus beholding 
him, loved him." He saw, that he was an amiable and 
a promising youth, and was anxious to benefit him, by 
turning his attention to the point in which he was still 
deficient, and needed amendment, ere he could become 



SERMON XIV. 239 

fit for that eternal life of which he was in quest. " One 
thing," said Christ, "thou lackest; go thy way, sell 
whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt 
have treasure in heaven, and come, take up the cross and 
follow me." But this is rather a strange requisition, you 
say. What? Can it be the duty of every individual who 
aspires to the rewards of heaven, to go at once and sell 
all he has in the world, and distribute the proceeds 
among the indigent? We answer, Not at the present 
day, though in the first age of Christianity the peculiar 
exigencies of an infant church struggling against persecu- 
tion, and every other conceivable obstacle, rendered it ex- 
pedient for the devoted friends of the Saviour to relin- 
quish their individual possessions, and have " all things 
in common." They who then refused to make this 
sacrifice were counted unworthy the cause of Jesus. The 
test was a simple and decisive one. It settled speedily 
and effectually the question, whether the heart was more 
attached to temporal than to spiritual blessings. Thus 
in the case of this young inquirer, it soon showed, and in 
the most conclusive manner, that he was still too fond of 
this lower world — that his desire for eternal life was not 
at all commensurate with the magnitude and importance 
of the object — that he was unwilling to purchase heaven 
by the abandonment of earth. As soon as he heard the 
condition of salvation which our Lord, for wise reasons, 
thought proper to impose, his countenance and conduct 
evinced, that he deemed it too hard. Compliance with 
it was out of the question. The saying made him u sad," 
and he " went away grieved;" and for his thus going 
away, the reason is assigned, that, " he had great pos- 
sessions." 

Now, from this interesting portion of the New Testa- 
ment, we may deduce the practical conclusion, that, 



240 SERMON XIV. 

NOTHING SHORT OF SUPREME LOVE TO GOD DESERVES 

the name of religion. Such, dear hearers, is the truth 
on which we would now expatiate a little. 

Nothing short of supreme love to God, we have said, 
deserves the name of religion. His requisition to every 
being formed by his power, and sustained by his bounty, 
is, "My son, give me thy heart." Such is the language 
of our Maker, and it is language which sufficiently evin- 
ces, that without the cordial devotion of our whole selves 
to his service, we cannot become the objects of his pater- 
nal regards. Let it ever be distinctly understood, that all 
acceptable obedience to the divine law must emanate from 
a principle of sincere attachment to the honour and glory 
of Him by whom it has been enacted. Hence we find the 
several precepts of this law comprehended in that one 
grand injunction, " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God 
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy 
strength, and with all thy mind." And hence, too, we 
find it broadly asserted, that even if an individual were to 
keep the whole law, with the exception of only a single 
point, he must still be viewed and dealt with as a violator 
of it in every particular : and for an obvious reason. — 
His neglect of one commandment proves, that his obser- 
vance of the rest is radically defective. He keeps the 
nine from some motives which have no connexion with 
love to the great Lawgiver, and if he were as strongly 
tempted to violate them, as he is to violate the one precept 
with regard to which he is delinquent, he would not be 
tardy in becoming a transgressor of the entire decalogue. 
Hid he really love God, he would avoid the infraction of 
one commandment quite as scrupulously and as pertinacious- 
ly as he would the infraction of all. " Love," brethren, 
"love is the fulfilling of the law." Jehovah is not a 
tyrannical potentate satisfied with the slavish obedience 



SERMON XIV. 241 

of his intelligent creatures. He is a parental Governor 
who looks for filial submission in his subjects, and will 
accept no other homage than that of the heart 

The general principle which we have now laid down, 
will assist us in detecting what there was hollow in the 
moral conduct and feelings of a young man, whose de- 
portment and character were, in many respects, so cor- 
rect and amiable as to recommend him to the peculiar 
regard and sympathy of Christ. He had obeyed the 
whole law, so far as he understood the purport, and felt 
the force of its injunctions, and was even desirous of 
learning what more it was necessary for him to do, in 
order to fulfil his duty, and provide for his well-being iu 
eternity. So far as human judgment was competent to 
decide, his condition was safe, and his prospects were 
flattering. But the Saviour, whose eye was upon his 
heart, and who knew what was in him, perceived that he 
still " lacked one thing ;" and that, alas ! the all-import- 
ant thing. His obedience, weighed in the balances of 
heaven, was found wanting. It was devoid of that vital 
principle of love which was essential to its acceptable- 
ness in the view of Jehovah. Here was the inquirer's 
capital deficiency; and to make this manifest, nothing 
more was necessary than to lay upon him some injunction, 
to comply with which there could be no other motive than 
a real regard for the authority — an unpretended desire to 
do the will — of the Most High. He could not transgress 
the moral law — he could not commit adultery, murder, 
theft or fraud, nor could he bear false witness, or treat 
his parents in an un dutiful manner — without forfeiting 
the good opinion of society, and thus subjecting himself 
to temporal disadvantages. But no bad consequences of 
this description would be likely to result from the refusal 
to sell all that he had, and give to the poor. The world, 



242 SERMON XIV. 

instead of setting a black mark upon him for such refusal, 
would be loud in sounding his praise. He would be 
commended as a man of prudence, who knew how to 
take care of his own interests — a species of knowledge, 
by the way, in the highest repute among men, and which 
not a few fathers would rather confer upon their sons, 
than see them capable of outstripping every competitor 
in the loftiest fields of science. It is clear, therefore, that 
the command of the Saviour, " Go, sell whatsoever thou 
hast, and give to the poor," was precisely and admirably 
fitted to expose the self-delusion under which this in- 
quirer was unhappily labouring. It brought him directly 
to the point. It shut him up to the faith of the gospel. 
It fixed the eye of his conscience upon the one thing 
which he lacked. It shed the light of day into his mind, 
and removed his ignorance with regard to what he should 
do to inherit eternal life. In a word, it taught him that 
he did not yet love God supremely, and that this was the 
very pivot on which his unalterable destiny must turn. 

And here, brethren, let us request you just to imagine, 
for a moment, that some requisition similar to that in our 
text, was made of you. It is not your duty, man of 
wealth, to sell all you have, and give to the poor. But 
suppose the contrary. Admit that this sacrifice was de- 
manded by your Saviour, in such a way that you could 
not possibly doubt respecting his will. What, in these 
circumstances, would you do ? Part with your posses- 
sions? or become sad, and go away grieved? And 
how would you act, man of ambition, if you were di- 
rected to relinquish all the honour and influence which 
you have acquired, and to forego the splendid prospects 
which have been so long dazzling with their brilliancy 
your mental eye ? We would also ask, with what sen- 
sations would you, fond parent, hear the injunction from 



SERMON XIV. 243 

the lips of your divine Lord, to surrender the son or the 
daughter, whose life and happiness are far dearer to you 
than your own ? — But we leave you to pursue this train 
of reflection for yourselves. Try the sincerity of your 
religion by the criterion which our present text exhibits. 
Make an effort to discover whether God has the first 
place in your hearts. O ! remember, that he will bear no 
rival near his throne. Whatever he requires for the pro- 
motion of his glory — whether it be your property, your 
standing and influence in society, or your children — a 
right hand, a right eye, or even life itself — must be 
promptly relinquished. Behold the venerable " father of 
the faithful" preparing, in obedience to the mysterious 
mandate of Heaven, to immolate, on the heights of Mo- 
riah, his only son Isaac, the child of peculiar promise, in 
whom all the families of the earth were to be blessed. 
Learn from his example, the nature and extent of your 
duty, in relation to the clearly-ascertained requirements 
of your Maker. 

We see, then, that the passage under consideration, 
affords an admirable test for enabling us to distinguish 
the various appearances of religion from religion itself. 
It teaches us, in a manner the plainest and most impres- 
sive, that without supreme love to God, nothing that we 
may do will effect our salvation. This must be the go- 
verning principle of our conduct. Mere morality will 
not procure for us eternal life, since we may observe the 
decalogue with a view to those temporal advantages 
which experience has shown us are annexed, in the ordi- 
nary course of Providence, to a virtuous career. Similar 
motives may lead us to assume what the Scriptures call 
the " form of godliness" — to make a profession of reli- 
gion — to go through, with promptitude and assiduity, the 
whole routine of religious observances. There must, 



244 SERMON XIV. 

therefore, be something more than moral deportment, and 
something more than a profession of religion, in the indi- 
vidual who looks to heaven as his everlasting home. He 
must obey and serve his Maker, simply because he loves 
him. Whether he eats, or drinks, or whatsoever he 
does, must be done to the glory of (rod. Thus speaks 
the New Testament, and the minister of the gospel, who 
would * nothing extenuate/' is bound explicitly to say 
the same. 

Brethren, the point to which we have now directed 
(or, at least, endeavoured to direct) your attention, is par- 
ticularly important for those among you, who have made 
a formal profession of religion. In thus acting, you have 
performed a clear and a decided duty. But O! remember, 
that the profession alone will not avail for the salvation 
of your souls. A form of godliness, without the power 
thereof, is good for nothing. It is compared by the 
Saviour to sepulchres, which, though fair, and white, and 
promising on the exterior, contain only bones aud putrid 
flesh. Piety — real, acceptable, and profitable piety — 
does not consist in the mere physical or outward observ- 
ance of any of the means of grace. We have not done 
enough, when we have become regular attendants of Je- 
hovah's sanctuary — when we have been baptized in the 
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost — when we have partaken of bread and wine at the 
sacramental board — and when we have embarked in the 
zealous support of every plan devised for the temporal 
and spiritual improvement of mankind. Genuine Chris- 
tianity consists not in any one, nor even in all of these 
things. Its essence lies in doing the will of God, from a 
sincere regard for the divine authority, and desire to pro- 
mote the divine glory. Believe us, brethren, nothing 
short of this will take you to heaven. "Not every one 



SERMON XIV. 245 

that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the king- 
dom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father 
who is in heaven." 

And what we have thus said to professing Christians, 
is substantially applicable to all in this assembly. Yes, 
dear hearers, if you would inherit eternal life, you must 
love God in such a manner, and to such a degree, that if 
he were to demand of you the surrender of all your pre- 
sent possessions, or whatever sublunary object you hold 
most dear, as the condition of certain and ever-during 
happiness beyond the grave, you would not hesitate to 
submit to his will. This is, briefly, what you must do to 
be saved. Morality will do much for you in this world. 
It will secure to you the esteem and confidence of society, 
and administer largely to your real enjoyments. But it 
will not raise you to heaven. To reach that hallowed 
and blissful abode, you must bestow your affections su- 
premely upon God. Now, we have nothing more to say 
than simply to ask you to make your election, and come 
to a decision. Be upright, temperate, and benevolent, and 
you shall have your reward here. Love God with all 
your heart, and soul, and strength, and mind, and you 
shall have your reward certainly hereafter, and probably 
both here and hereafter. What then will you do ? We 
tremble to think that any of you should go away sorrow- 
ful. It is an awful thing to be near to the kingdom of 
heaven, and yet never enter into it — to perish at the very 
threshold of mercy ! 

29 



SERMON XV. 






JOB II. 10. (Middle Clause.) 



" What! shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not 
receive evil?" 



It is a fact not to be denied, that in the present world, 
good and evil are allotted to men without much apparent 
regard to their moral character. The virtuous are fre- 
quently visited with affliction, while the vicious en- 
joy a large share of temporal comforts and blessings. 
The ways of providence in this respect are somewhat 
dark and inscrutable even to those who possess the sacred 
volume, which discloses to a certain extent, the plan and 
purposes of the Deity in the government of the universe. 
How much more difficult, then, must it be for those who 
are denied the advantages of a Revelation to account, in 
any thing like a satisfactory manner, for that seemingly 
capricious distribution of prosperity and adversity, of 
which we now speak ? We may readily imagine, that 
no circumstance which comes under the observation of a 
reflecting pagan, is calculated to perplex his mind so much 
as this. He, no doubt, often asks himself the question, 
If there be a wise and just and powerful Divinity on the 
throne of nature, why is it, that men are not happy or 
miserable here, according to their deserts ? 

The book of Job, brethren, was written for the purpose 
of solving this very question — of clearing up this dark 
and bewildering point. We are here presented with the 
case of a man suddenly reduced from the height of pros- 
perity to the lowest condition of adversity — his fortune 



SERMON XV. 247 

and his children torn away from him, and his calamities 
aggravated to the utmost by some cutaneous disease of a 
peculiarly painful nature. His friends beholding his 
misfortunes, at once took up the erroneous idea, that not- 
withstanding his previous reputation for integrity and 
piety, he had really been guilty of some secret but enormous 
sins, for which his unprecedented afflictions were a judg- 
ment of Heaven. Under this confident impression, they 
visit him, and urge him to repent and acknowledge his 
offences and implore the divine compassion. Job in return 
vehemently asserts his innocence, and, indeed, is provoked 
by the unfounded suspicions and injudicious remarks of 
his friends, to go rather past the limits of modesty and 
propriety in doing so. At length God himself interposes 
for the reproof and instruction of both parties, and the 
book concludes so as to illustrate and enforce the import- 
ant truth, that the best of men may be greatly afflicted in 
this world, in order to accomplish the wise and holy de- 
signs of Heaven, and to promote their happiness beyond 
the grave. 

The words of our text are part of Job's reply to his 
wife, who seeing, that, even in the extreme anguish both 
of body and mind which he endured, he was not tempted to 
murmur against Providence, exclaimed, "Dost thou still 
retain thine integrity? curse Grod and die." "We are shocked 
to think, that such impious advice should have proceeded 
from female lips, and accordingly expositors, in their 
exquisite tenderness for the reputation of Job's consort, 
have suggested several ways in which a less exception- 
able construction may be put upon her language. It is, 
we presume, generally known, that the Hebrew term here 
rendered curse, is one so singularly ambiguous in its im- 
port, that it may also be translated bless. Why, then, 
may we not adopt this meaning in the present instance, so 



248 SERMON XV. 

as to let the passage run thus : H Dost thou still retain 
thine integrity? bless God and die?" We answer, 
Because if this had been all that the woman said, 
Job would have had no occasion to reprove her in the 
very severe language of which our text is a part. Some 
have proposed to render the passage in this way : H Dost 
thou still retain thine integrity, blessing God and dying?" 
But we are inclined to consider the common version as 
the natural and the true one. We suppose that Job's 
wife had not as much self command, nor as much piety 
as her husband, and that in a moment of deep dejection 
and extreme irritation, she gave utterance to the blasphe- 
mous sentiment here attributed to her. For this she was 
deservedly censured by her afflicted companion: "Thou 
speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What ! 
shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we 
not receive evil ?" 

The text implies, that we all receive good at the hand 
of God. And where is the human being who can hesitate, 
for a single moment, in admitting this truth ? Whither 
shall we go to find an individual ungrateful or insensible 
enough to deny, that the Deity has conferred upon him 
numerous and various favours ? From whom, brethren, 
have we derived our existence? To whom do we owe 
our intellectual faculties? By whose bounty is it that we 
are fed and clothed ? Whose unslumbering eye watches 
over us when we sleep, and whose untiring arm protects 
us amid the dangers of the day ? Who supplies us with 
kind and affectionate friends to reciprocate our joys and 
sympathize in our sorrows ? Who in the season of sick- 
ness furnishes the means of relief, and restores us to the 
possession of health? But what tongue can recount the 
benefactions of J ehovah ? Well does the Psalmist exclaim, 
" Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which 



SERMON XV. 249 

thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to usward : 
they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if 1 
would declare and speak of them, they are more than can 
be numbered." And again, "Bless the Lord, O my 
soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits : 
who forgiveth all thine iniquities ; who healeth all thy 
diseases ; who redeemeth thy life from destruction ; who 
crowneth thee with loving- kindness and tender mercies, 
who satisfieth thy mouth with good things, so that thy 
youth is renewed like the eagle's." 

And, brethren, what is the temporal good which we 
have received at the hand of God, compared with the 
spiritual privileges and blessings which he has been pleased 
so richly to confer upon mankind? The gift of his Son 
for our redemption immeasurably exceeds all the other 
favours with which he has distinguished us. How signal 
the exhibition of divine benignity which was afforded to 
the universe, when the only-begotten of the Father visited 
our earth in the likeness of sinful flesh, and, after a life 
of humiliation and sorrow, submitted to the accursed 
death of the cross ! How many and how inestimable are 
the benefits which the mediation of Christ has procured 
for our otherwise wretched and undone world — the par- 
don of sin, the renewing and sanctifying influences of the 
Holy Spirit, peace of conscience, and a title to everlasting 
happiness ! How grateful, dear hearers, does it become 
us to be, for this amazing display of love and mercy on 
the part of Jehovah I How should we rejoice, that, while 
so many millions of our hapless race are still strangers to 
the glad tidings of salvation, we live under the full blaze 
of gospel light, and are favoured with all the means of 
grace. And O ! how much more ardent should be our grati- 
tude — how much more thrilling our joy — if we have any 



250 SERMON XV. 

reason (o indulge the belief, that we possess a personal 
interest in the blessings of religion ! How should our 
hearts burn within us, if we can discern in our views, our 
feelings, and our conduct, any evidence — even the 
slightest, of the Spirit's operation ! 

But it is not our present purpose to enlarge upon the 
fact, that we have all received good at the hand of God. 
We would rather direct your attention to the truth incul- 
cated in the text, that those for whom Jehovah has done 
so much, have no right to complain of the occasional ad- 
verse circumstances which he permits to befall them. It 
is well known that men in general become impatient, and 
manifest a disposition to repine, when Providence visits 
them with affliction. They forget, in the hour of adver- 
sity, all the comforts and blessings which Heaven had 
previously conferred upon them. They think only of the 
calamity which they are called to endure, and feel and 
act as if their whole career on earth had been one con- 
tinuous series of misfortunes. Now, such conduct as this 
is highly culpable. It betrays ingratitude to the Most 
High for past favours, and an unwillingness to confide in 
him as respects the future. It indicates too surely the ab- 
sence of that humble and devout frame of mind, which 
prompted the just and pious sentiment of our text, " Shall 
we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not 
receive evil ?" 

The present life, though abounding with many advan- 
tages and enjoyments, has also its share of difficulties and 
sorrows. In one sense, " man is born to trouble, as the 
sparks fly upward." Many and various are the afflic- 
tions to which he is subject. Disappointments, vexations, 
and trials, may come upon him from a thousand sources. 
To loss of property, and loss of health, he is continually 
exposed. And then the messenger of death may invade 



SERMON XV. 251 

his family circle, break asunder the nearest ties of attach- 
ment, terminate relations which have long subsisted, and 
fill his heart with unutterable grief. 

No man, then, whatever may be his moral character, 
can calculate on passing through the world, without af- 
fliction of some kind. The Christian must not expect to 
escape the evils which Heaven, for wise and benevolent 
purposes, has rendered inseparable from the lot of huma- 
nity here below. Religion promises to her votaries no 
such boon as exemption from temporal calamities. In- 
deed, the reverse would rather seem to be promised, for 
the Saviour on a certain occasion said to his disciples, 
"In the world ye shall have tribulation;" and in another 
passage of the New T Testament, we read that " we must 
through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of Grod." 

But although the Christian is not to calculate on ex- 
emption from affliction, yet he may hope, with the bless- 
ing and the aid of Heaven, to endure it with humble and 
devout submission to the divine will, and thus to render 
it a source of real and lasting good to his soul. He re- 
members that he has received many blessings from Jeho- 
vah, and he feels that it would be ungrateful in the 
extreme to murmur on account of providential dispensa- 
tions, which, however gloomy and painful, are ordered in 
infinite wisdom, and may contribute largely to his ulti- 
mate happiness : — 

" Good, when he gives, supremely good, 

Nor less when he denies; 
E'en crosses from his sovereign hand, 

Are blessings in disguise." 

He reviews the past mercies of God, and particularly 
those of a spiritual nature. He deems the pardon of his 
sins, which he trusts that he has obtained through the 
merits of his Redeemer, a bounty sufficient to make 



252 SERMON XV. 

amends for any temporary evils which may befall him 
during his stay in this world. He thinks of the precious 
seasons of religious comfort and enjoyment with which 
he has been blessed — seasons in which the light of Je- 
hovah's countenance has been lifted upon him, and he 
has read with the eye of faith, a clear title to the man- 
sions of eternal peace and bliss. As he looks back to 
such periods, he communes with his spirit in language 
like the following : — Can it be, that God who has dealt 
so mercifully with my soul in days that are past, will 
now forget to be gracious ? Is it possible, that he who 
once inspired my heart with the hope of pardoned sin, 
and encouraged me to cherish the expectation of dwelling 
with him for ever, will desert me in this hour of trial and 
of need? Surely not. I remember his promise not to 
leave nor forsake me, and this shall be my stay. Here 
will I set up my Ebenezer. Hitherto hath the Lord 
helped me. His compassions cannot fail. The affliction 
which has come upon me is the doing of a parental 
Deity, who best knows what is calculated to subserve the 
real interests of his children. It becomes me, then, to 
bear with meekness and resignation whatever he thinks 
proper to inflict. I must not forget that passage of his 
own word — "Behold, happy is the man whom God cor- 
rected ; therefore, despise not thou the chastening of the 
Almighty. For he maketh sore, and bindeth up; he 
woundeth, and his hands make whole. He shall deliver 
thee in six troubles; yea, in seven there shall no evil 
touch thee." 

Let us now briefly advert to one or two of those sources 
of consolation, which the gospel presents to the Christian 
in the season of bereavement and distress. We have 
already seen how the recollection of the good which he 
has received at the hand of God, conduces to reconcile 



SERMON XV. 253 

him to the endurance of the occasional evils which he 
may experience. There are likewise other considerations 
of a similar tendency. 

Thus the contemplation of th§ divine sovereignty is 
calculated to have the effect of which we speak. The 
Christian knows that the universe, with all its interests 
and all its concerns, is under the absolute control of Je- 
hovah. He does not imagine that the Deity resides at a 
vast distance from our world, an indifferent and a passive 
spectator of human affairs. An idea so preposterous as 
this, his mind cannot harbour. The Scriptures teach 
him, that nothing can happen without the agency, or, at 
least, without the knowledge and permission of the Most 
High. He therefore sees, that to repine at the dispensa- 
tions of Providence, is virtually to rebel against God. It 
is to say to him, What doest thou? It is nothing less 
than to deny that he is entitled to govern his own uni- 
verse as he pleases. 

Again, the Christian is led to acquiesce in the afflictive 
dispensations of Providence, when he thinks of his own 
sins. He knows how greatly he has offended against the 
divine Majesty: he is sensible that he has broken, in 
numberless instances, the precepts of Jehovah's pure and 
perfect law. He therefore feels, that no temporal cala- 
mities with which his lot may be embittered, can exceed 
the punishment to which, by his mal-conduct, he has 
rendered himself justly obnoxious. In fact, he is con- 
scious that he has merited at the hand of his Maker, no- 
thing short of indignation and wrath, tribulation and 
anguish. And how, under such circumstances, can he 
properly complain of the afflictions with which he is vi- 
sited? What right has he to murmur, when he is com- 
pelled to admit that he deserves in strictness a larger and 
heavier portion of adversity than he receives ? Instead 

30 



254 SERMON XV. 

of repining, he discerns that he has, in reality, cause for 
thankfulness and joy, that judgment has not been laid to 
the line, nor righteousness to the plummet. He acknow- 
ledges, that it is of the Lord's mercy, that he has not 
been consumed — that he has not been dealt with accord- 
ing to his deserts. 

Further, the Christian is enabled to submit with meek- 
ness and resignation to the divine will, in periods of be- 
reavement and distress, by reflecting, that the present is a 
state of discipline, in which good men are tried and ren- 
dered fit for a condition of perfect and enduring happi- 
ness. The afflictions which they experience, are repre- 
sented in the sacred Scriptures as working out for them 
an exceeding and eternal weight of glory. They are in 
the hands of a God who understands their character and 
knows their wants much better than they do themselves. 
He calculates the precise quantity of sorrow, if we may 
so speak, which will be necessary to qualify them for the 
reception and enjoyment of the amount of bliss, which it 
is his pleasure to confer upon them. In one word, he 
afflicts them as much as is requisite for their good, and no 
more. How consolatory is this thought to the believer ! 
and especially when he considers, what we are persuaded 
the word of (rod warrants, that those who suffer most 
here, will, in general, partake of the largest share of hap- 
piness hereafter. Yes, it may be presumed, that the 
highest and brightest seats in heaven will be awarded to 
those who come out of great tribulation, and wash their 
robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. 

And hence we are led to remark, in the last place, that 
the Christian is enabled to submit with meekness and 
resignation to the divine will in periods of affliction, by 
cherishing an habitual anticipation of the honour and 
felicity which are to be his final portion. He knows, 



SERMON XV. 255 

that he is here in a state of pilgrimage — that this world is 
a wilderness through which he is travelling to the land of 
promise. He, therefore, feels, that it is comparatively 
unimportant what may be his lot on earth, provided he 
succeeds in securing a title to heaven. Under this im- 
pression, he can, even in his darkest and most troubled 
moments, appropriate the language of the Psalmist: 
a Why art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou 
disquieted within me? hope thou in God, for I shall yet 
praise him who is the health of my countenance, and my 
God." Yes, his faith enters within the veil, and lifts his 
thoughts and hopes to regions of perpetual quietude and 
blessedness above the changes and the desolations of 
time. He looks forward to the day which shall translate 
him to his everlasting home, and takes courage to his 
soul. He rejoices, that there is a world, where trials and 
sorrows are unknown — a world where friends shall be 
called to part no more — a world, in short, where God 
shall wipe away all tears from the eyes of his people, and 
render them completely and eternally happy. 

Brethren, let us learn from our subject the value and 
the efficacy of the Christian religion. No other system 
can do half so much towards sustaining and consoling the 
human being in the season of affliction. 

" The Scripture is the only cure of wo; 
That field of promise, how it flings abroad 

Its odour o'er the Christian's thorny road!" 

t 

Will you send the mourner to the volumes of ancient, or 
of modern philosophy for comfort ? He returns as dis- 
consolate and sad as he was before. Nor does he find 
any thing that deserves the name of peace and satisfac- 
tion, till he betakes himself to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 
How happy is the condition of those who have secured an 
interest in the hopes and thepromises of this religion. They 



256 



SERMON XV. 



have an anchor to the soul sure and steadfast. A peren- 
nial source of comfort is theirs. Yes, Christian, you need 
not fear the day of adversity. Your God has said, that 
his grace shall be sufficient for you, and on his word you 
may confidently rely. He will not — he cannot — disap- 
point you. Bow with reverence to his sceptre. Submit 
with docility to his providence. Let the language of the 
apostle be yours : " 1 am persuaded, that neither death 
nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor 
things present, nor things to come, nor height nor depth, 
nor any other creature, shall be able to separate me from 
the love of God which is in Christ Jesus my Lord. 

But what, dear hearers, shall we say to those who are 
without an interest in the hopes and promises of Chris- 
tianity ? How shall we undertake to speak comfort to 
them in the day of adversity? Alas ! the word of God 
requires us to address them in very different language. 
We have no warrant for assuring them, that their afflic- 
tions will be the certain means of advancing their eternal 
interests. The Master whom we serve has not authorized 
us to deliver a message of peace to their souls, until they 
first repent of their sins, and believe in the name of Jesus, 
and devote themselves to the service of their Maker. 
So long as they refuse or neglect to comply with the 
terms of the gospel, they must remain strangers to its 
blessings. How deplorable is their condition, especially 
in seasons of bereavement and distress ! No cheering ra- 
diance breaks in upon their gloom. No soothing accents 
whisper consolation to their hearts. And what, in such 
circumstances, shall they do ? Why, if they still deter- 
mine not to yield to the demands of the New Testament, 
we scarcely see what better course they can adopt, than 
to follow the counsel of Job's wife, and curse God and 
die. O ! it is an awful state to which a man brings him- 



SERMON XV. 257 

self, when the afflictive visitations of providence produce 
no salutary impression on his moral nature — when, in- 
stead of being softened and benefited by such visitations, 
he remains as careless and insensible as he was before ! 
Tell us, brethren, is there the least reason to apprehend 
— we appeal to your consciences — that you are in this 
situation? If so, we must make free to assure you, that you 
stand on eminently perilous ground. We would at once ring 
in your ears the toll-bell of alarm, and admonish you of 
impending dangers. We would urge you to flee from 
the wrath to come. Believe us, you have no time to lose. 
Your callousness under affliction is a lamentable indica- 
tion, that unless divine grace speedily interposes for your 
rescue, you must go down to the world of wo. Every 
day that you continue in your present condition, will 
serve only to harden your hearts, and, of course, to di- 
minish the probability of your final salvation. And then, 
what a short and an uncertain thing is life ! It flies like 
the weaver's shuttle. It vanishes as a dream of the 
morning. We know not what a day, or even an hour 
may bring forth. — Think, impenitent sinner — 0! think 
of this solemn fact, and be persuaded to seek the Lord 
while he may be found, and call upon him while he is 
near. The alternative of everlasting happiness or ever- 
lasting misery is now set before you. Remember that 
you are just as free to choose in this matter, as you were 
to determine whether you would come to the house of God 
this morning. If you perish, you have only yourself to 
blame — your ruin lies upon your own head. 



SERMON XVI. 






EXODUS XX. 7. 



w Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will 
not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." 

The first remark which we have to offer, is, that the 
expression, " name of God," here used, is evidently not 
to be taken in its most literal acceptation. The phrase- 
ology of this commandment gives no countenance to the 
puerile and superstitious notions entertained by the an- 
cient Jews, in respect to the appellation Jehovah, by 
which the Deity had been pleased to reveal himself pe- 
culiarly to them. And yet we find even the modern Jews 
adhering, in a great degree, to these notions. They still 
deem it a sin to pronounce this word, and accordingly, 
as often as they meet with it in reading the Old Testa- 
ment, they substitute another in its stead. Indeed, their 
Talmud denounces the heaviest malediction against the 
individual who should presume to act otherwise. We 
may add, that some of their writers profess to have dis- 
covered that the angels themselves are prohibited from 
attempting the pronunciation of the name Jehovah. 

We are told in the Catechism with which many of us 
have been familiar almost from our infancy, that the ex- 
pression "name of God," here implies " any thing where- 
by he maketh himself known." This expression we 
find sometimes used in the sacred Scriptures, to denote 
the Divinity himself, as when the Psalmist exclaims, 
" Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name." But 



SERMON XVI. 259 

in the present instance it may be more properly under- 
stood, as referring to the titles, attributes, ordinances, 
word, and works of Jehovah. In short, it is applicable 
to every medium of communication which the invisible 
Spirit of eternity has been pleased to establish between 
himself and the intelligent inhabitants of earth. 

From this brief definition of the expression, " name of 
God," we may at once perceive the scope and design of 
the third commandment. This commandment interdicts 
whatever is opposed to the reverential contemplation of 
any thing by which the Deity has manifested himself to 
man. Thus recurring to the phraseology which we have 
just used, we may say, that it prohibits the profane use 
of his titles, attributes, ordinances, word, and works. It 
requires the possession of a devotional frame of mind, in 
all our efforts to comprehend and to adore the High and 
Holy One. It demands that all the conceptions which 
we form of his nature, correspond with the immaculate 
purity and unlimited benignity, which the sacred Scrip- 
tures assign to him. It also demands, that we never 
speak, nor even think of him, but under a deep conviction 
of the relation which he sustains to us as our Creator and 
Preserver, and a consequent sense of our accountability 
to him for our entire conduct. 

The third commandment, taken in the very general 
sense in which we have now explained it, comprehends 
the whole of practical religion. It enjoins the devout 
performance of every duty which we owe to our Maker, 
to our fellow beings, and to ourselves ; so that there is 
scarcely a sin that men commit, which might not be shown 
to involve, in a greater or less degree, the guilt of taking 
the Lord's name in vain. 

We shall now go on to mention several particulars, in 
which the third commandment is most obviously trans- 
gressed. 



260 SERMON XVL 

I. Ill the first place, then, we remark, that this com- 
mandment is transgressed when ideas and sentiments de- 
rogatory to the Most High, are either expressed from the 
lips or harboured in the mind. The sin of blasphemy, 
to which we now allude, was punished, under the old 
dispensation, with death. Any individual, whether a 
native Jew, a proselyte, or a heathen resident among the 
Jews, who was guilty of this sin, was liable to be stoned 
by the congregation of Israel. And surely no offence can 
involve a higher degree of moral malignity, than the wil- 
ful and deliberate defamation of Him, in whom we live, 
move, and have our being. Indeed, it implies an extent 
of depravity, to which we may charitably suppose, that 
the human heart does not very often attain. There is, 
however, a species of indirect blasphemy, as we may ap- 
propriately denominate it, which is exemplified in the 
conduct of those who act in such a manner as to induce 
others to speak reproachfully of religion and its profes- 
sors. As an instance of what we mean, we may refer to 
the case of David. The part which that monarch acted 
toward Bath-sheba and Uriah — first seducing the wife, 
and then murdering the husband — has, perhaps, contri- 
buted more to harden bad men in their sins, and to per- 
plex good men with difficulties, than any other incident 
which history, sacred or profane, records. That it proved 
a stumbling block to many of David's own subjects, 
might not only be inferred from the nature of the transact 
tion itself, but is also evident from the language of 
Nathan the prophet, who, when sent by God to reprove 
him for what he had done, declared among other things, 
that he had "given great occasion to the enemies of the 
Lord to blaspheme." To the same kind of blasphemy the 
apostle Paul alludes in the second chapter of his epistle 
to the Romans, where he says, that the Jews by breaking 



SERMON XVI. 261 

the law, caused the name of their God to be blasphemed 
among the Gentiles; and again in his first Epistle to 
Timothy, and in his Epistle to Titus, where he enforces 
certain duties from the consideration, that if such duties 
were omitted, the name of God, and his word and doctrine 
would be blasphemed. 

II. Again, we remark, that the third commandment is 
trangressed, when the Deity is solemnly appealed to in 
confirmation of what is known to be false. Some have 
been of the opinion, that perjury is the sin principally 
contemplated and prohibited in the text. Certain it is, 
that this sin is a prominent and an awful instance in 
which the name of Jehovah is taken in vain. The pro- 
visions of the Mosaic code on this subject, were clear and 
positive. In the nineteenth chapter of Leviticus, it is 
written : " And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, 
neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God." That 
the ancient Jews had not entirely misapprehended this 
part of their law, (though they had impaired its spirit by 
many frivolous and hair-splitting distinctions) is evident 
from the words of our Saviour, in his discourse on the 
mount, where he represents them as thus expounding it: 
" Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto 
the Lord thy vows." On this particular division of our 
subject, it were superfluous to enlarge. We cannot, for 
a moment suppose, that our assembly contains a solitary 
individual who would appeal to his Maker in attestation 
of a known untruth. Nor could we hope to benefit a 
wretch so deeply sunk in depravity, by any observations 
that we could offer from this sacred desk. 

III. In the third place it may be observed, that this 
commandment is transgressed, when the Deity is formally 
appealed to, in confirmation of what, though true, is 
trivial and insignificant in its nature and import. Pro- 

31 



262 



SERMON XVL 



fane swearing, to which you all understand as as now 
alluding, is the sin which the casual reader probably re- 
gards as more obviously and directly prohibited in the 
text. That this sin prevails to a considerable extent in 
society, is a truth as unquestionable, as it is humiliating. 
Nor is its prevalence by any means confined to the vul- 
gar and the uneducated. There are not a few belonging 
to what are accounted the higher and fashionable circles 
of the community, who season their conversation pretty 
plentifully with oaths. Individuals who would deem 
themselves grievously insulted, if they were denied 
the title of gentlemen — individuals, too, who advance pre- 
tensions to the possession of enlarged and cultivated 
minds — are found so utterly devoid of all that is essential 
to real improvement of intellect, and true refinement of 
manners, as to be guilty of an habitual profanation of 
God's holy name on the most unimportant occasions. It is 
mortifying to be compelled to state a fact thus disgraceful 
to human nature. 

That swearing is an offence against that natural sense 
of propriety and virtue which God has implanted in our 
moral constitution, may be inferred from the circum- 
stance, that most of those addicted to this abominable 
practice, deem it a point of etiquette to avoid an oath in 
the company of females. In fact, if any thing were 
wanting to illustrate the influence which woman exerts in 
ameliorating and refining social life, it might be found in 
the check which her presence imposes on the lips of one 
accustomed to the profanation of his Maker's name. 
How much is it to be regretted, that they who thus respect 
the feelings of a creature, should manifest so entire a dis- 
regard not for the feelings only, but for the express man- 
date of the Creator ! 

It is needless to dwell upon the wickedness of swear- 



SERMON XVI. 263 

ing. The impiety of such a practice must be obvious to 
every one not absolutely lost to all sense of virtue. If 
any thing were necessary to strengthen our conviction of 
its moral turpitude, we might urge the consideration, that 
to the commission of this sin, men have not the same 
powerful temptations that they have to the commission of 
many other sins. In the utterance of an oath, no violent 
emotion of the heart is yielded to — no instinctive propen- 
sity of the animal system is obeyed. The swearer has 
not even the poor excuse which the robber, the drunkard 
and the adulterer may be imagined to urge, however in- 
effectually, in palliation of their respective offences. His 
transgression is a wanton indignity, offered without the 
stimulus of appetite, or the prospect of gratification, to 
that Grod, in whose hand is his breath, and from whose 
bounty proceed all his blessings. 

Profane swearing is as absurd as it is wicked. An 
oath, if it be not really designed for the confirmation of 
truth, must be regarded by the most lenient, as an exple- 
tive devoid of meaning to those to whom it is addressed. 
And why should it be used, on ordinary occasions, for 
the confirmation of truth, unless the speaker has reason 
to fear, that his veracity will be suspected ? If he thinks 
it necessary to appeal to the supreme Being, in support 
of almost every thing that he utters, he must imagine, that 
no very favourable opinion of his integrity is entertained 
by others. Now, we can assure him, that they who 
doubt his word, will not be inclined to put much confidence 
in an oath, pronounced in the irreverent manner in which 
conversational oaths are, for the most part, pronounced. — 
To the absurdity of this practice the poet Cowper alludes, 
in a strain of happy and pungent satire, such as we often 
meet with in his works, when he describes a Persian, 
who 



264 SERMON XVI. 

" Hearing a lawyer grave in his address, 
With adjurations every word impress, 
Suppos'd the man a bishop, or, at least, 
God's name so much upon his lips, a priest! 
Bow'd at the close with all his graceful airs, 
And begg'd an interest in his frequent prayers." 

Although the text directly and unequivocally condemns 
that kind of swearing which, as we have just said, too 
often obtains in the ordinary intercourse of men, yet it 
ought not to be understood as prohibiting absolutely and 
unconditionally all appeals to the divine Being in confir- 
mation of truth. The state of human society is unhappily 
such as to render it impossible for appeals of this nature 
to be wholly dispensed with. It is hardly to be doubted, 
that there are those whose moral sense is so impaired, 
that the desire of some immediate advantage, or the fear 
of some immediate evil, may tempt them to hazard bare 
assertions, while no considerations could induce them to 
annex to the same assertions the solemnity of an oath. 
And if this be so, how can it be denied, that the use of 
oaths in courts of justice is essential to the discovery of 
truth, and, consequently, of high importance to the general 
and permanent interests of every community ? The lan- 
guage of our Lord, " Swear not at all," which is a stand- 
ing quotation with those who contend against the lawful- 
ness of oaths, must be viewed in connexion with the 
circumstances under which it was spoken. At the time 
of the Saviour's personal ministry, profane swearing was 
extremely prevalent among the Jews ; and to discounte- 
nance this iniquitous and odious practice, was his sole ob- 
ject, as any one may discover from the context, in the 
words which we have just quoted. That he did not in- 
tend to condemn oaths on occasions of sufficient import- 
ance and solemnity, may be proved from his own example 
during the mock trial which preceded his crucifixion. 



SERMON XVI. 265 

When the high priest put to him the interrogatory, " I 
adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether 
thou be the Christ, the Son of God?" he did not hesitate 
to answer, though until then he had been silent. The 
apostle Paul likewise, in at least two passages of his 
Epistles, introduces a form of expression equivalent to an 
oath. Nay, the infinitely holy God himself has confirm- 
ed his promises to men by oaths ; and as he could swear 
by none greater, he has, in such cases, sworn by his own 
incomprehensible existence and adorable attributes. There 
is, then, no reason to doubt the lawfulness of oaths, when 
administered on occasions of importance, and under cir- 
cumstances of due solemnity. But whether oaths are not 
resorted to in our civil judicatories, when they might be 
dispensed with, and whether the frequency of their ad- 
ministration, and, we may add, the light manner of their 
administration in some instances, have not tended to di- 
minish their efficacy, and to render perjury more common 
than it would otherwise be, are questions respectfully 
submitted to the consideration of those whose more ap- 
propriate province it is to decide on topics of this de- 
scription. 

IV. We proceed now to a fourth particular, in which, 
according to the opinion of some pious expositors, the 
commandment before us is transgressed. When we say 
that games of chance involve a violation of the spirit of 
this precept, many of our hearers, we doubt not, will be 
surprised. And yet all such games have been regarded 
by writers of high theological reputation, as coming 
within the scope of the third prohibition 5 inasmuch as 
they are a virtual appeal to Heaven on an unimportant 
occasion, and for the decision of an insignificant matter. 
What is chance? Simply a word expressive of our igno- 
rance in respect to the circumstances which precede any 



266 sermon xvr. 

event as its proximate cause. In rigid accuracy of lan- 
guage, nothing can be accidental. All occurrences, how- 
ever minute, are under the supreme control of Jehovah. 
In the toss of a dollar, or the throw of a die, recourse is 
had to the same general laws of motion which regulate 
the planets in their orbits, and give harmony to the uni- 
versal system of matter. The agency of the Deity is not 
more real and direct in the one case than in the other. 
But the player of cards or of dice, anticipating the con- 
clusion to be drawn from these premises, exclaims, that 
he never dreams of appealing to God for the decision of 
the game in which he is engaged. And might not the 
swearer urge a similar plea? Can we presume that he 
always thinks of the august Being, whose name he takes 
upon his unhallowed tongue? Let no one, however, 
suppose that we are now intimating, that to play a game 
of chance simply for amusement, is as criminal as need- 
lessly to utter an oath. Sins that are very different in 
degree, may yet be the same in kind. Allowance, too, 
ought undoubtedly to be made for those whose education 
and habits of thinking, have not led them to contemplate 
this subject in the light in which it has now been repre- 
sented. What we have given you, is to be received as 
the judgment of sensible and pious authors, and as such, 
is entitled to your serious regard. — We must not omit 
this opportunity of bearing our testimony against lotteries 
of every kind, and for every purpose. They are excep- 
tionable on several accounts. They are games of chance. 
They involve the principle of gambling in its worst shape. 
They excite absurd expectations of sudden wealth, espe- 
cially among those whose pecuniary resources are limited, 
and thus counteract those habits of industry and frugality, 
on which alone every man should rely for the support of 
his family, and the improvement of his fortune. That 



SEttMON XVI. 26t 

they are authorized by law, is sometimes gravely urged 
as a conclusive argument in their favour, by persons who 
seem to think that whatever our rulers do must be right, 
as the honest man supposed that whatever he read in a 
book must be true. But it is this very circumstance of 
their having the sanction of law, which, by exempting 
them in the estimation of the multitude, from the crimi- 
nality attached to private gambling, endues them with a 
perilous efficiency in demoralizing the community. We 
cannot leave this subject without adding, that the acknow- 
ledgments of every friend to public virtue are due to the 
distinguished member of congress from New England, 
for the noble stand which he made, not long since, in the 
representative assembly of the Union, against the great 
and desolating evil on which we have now animadverted. 

V. As another instance in which the third command- 
ment is transgressed, we may refer to all attempts to pry, 
with an overweening curiosity, into the secret things of 
God. This precept of the decalogue utters its veto 
against that speculative spirit in relation to many religious 
topics, which so frequently attends a zeal for " the form 
of godliness," in those who " deny the power thereof." 
Men who are totally strangers to the moral influence of 
religion, are often heard jangling about the niceties of its 
doctrine, and the technicalities of its language. 

Nor is this speculating disposition, which we consider 
as incompatible with the spirit of our text, wholly con- 
fined to those whose acquaintance with religion does not 
extend beyond its theory. We regret to say, that men 
who are on the whole decidedly pious, are sometimes 
prone to push their inquiries on particular subjects, con- 
nected with natural and revealed religion, past the limits 
of propriety. The genuine Christian is not always ex- 
empt from an intenseness of curiosity, and a boldness of 



268 SERMON XVI. 

conjecture, in respect to the mysteries of the Bible, not 
very consonant with that humility which ought to be the 
prominent and distinctive feature of his character. There 
can be no question, that such an anxiety to be wise above 
what is written, has a tendency to retard the progress of 
vital piety in the soul. He who instead of applying his 
mental energies to the investigation of truths obviously 
revealed, and devoting his moral energies to the practice 
of duties plainly enjoined, occupies himself with ques- 
tions which, in our present state, are incapable of solution, 
and which, even if they could be resolved, are yet of no 
importance to human virtue, or to human happiness,— he 
who thus acts, will discover in the end, that he has ex- 
pended his strength for nought, and made, in reality, no 
advances in the knowledge, the fear, and the love of his 
Maker. 

It may not be impertinent, in passing, to remark that 
the spirit of the third commandment has, we apprehend, 
been violated to an extent by no means inconsiderable, in 
the controversies which, in our own country, have been 
carried on with so much heat and virulence, on such sub- 
jects as these: — the divine sovereignty— the origin of 
moral evil — and the nature of the atonement. We think 
that some of the disputants, on either side of these ques- 
tions, may probably, on due reflection, deem themselves 
reproved by the precept of the moral law, on which we 
are now commenting. If to speculate on subjects that lie 
beyond the grasp of our intellectual faculties — especially 
when such subjects relate to the character and proceed- 
ings of the Deity himself — be not to take the name of the 
Lord our God in vain, then it would seem as if there 
were scarcely a possibility of profaning that name by any 
thing that we may do, short of direct blasphemy. — But 
we trust that the period is not very distant, when a 



SERMON XVI. 269 

revolution will be effected in theology, considered merely as 
a science, similar to that which has already taken place in 
physical and mental philosophy— when a proper estimate 
will be formed of the powers of the human mind as applied 
to the truths of revealed religion — when the legitimate ob- 
jects of investigation will be discriminated from other ob- 
jects, with regard to which our most indefatigable re- 
searches must ever terminate in results that are conjectural 
and barren — when, in a word, the fundamental doctrines 
of the Gospel will be regarded as ultimate truths, to which 
we should yield our full assent, without imagining, that 
we must demonstrate them by arguments, or that we can 
answer all the numberless queries that may be started in 
respect to their nature and consequences. 

VI. The last instance of the transgression of the third 
commandment, to which we shall call your attention on 
this occasion, is exhibited in the conduct of those, who 
draw nigh unto the Lord with their mouths, and honour 
him with their lips, while their hearts are far from him. 
The assumption of a sanctified exterior on the part of one 
who has no real regard for the divine majesty, or the di- 
vine laws, whether such assumption be merely made in 
compliance with custom, or result from a desire to compass 
some important end, to the attainment of which the reputa- 
tion of piety is deemed essential, must be contemplated as 
belonging to the general description of sins prohibited in 
the text. Hypocrisy, in its worst form, which implies a 
systematic attempt to impress men with the opinion, that 
we possess, in an eminent degree, virtues to which we 
are conscious that we are utterly strangers, is a sin indi- 
cating so much moral depravity, that we ought not, except 
on the most indubitable grounds, to impute it to any in- 
dividual. But there is a species of minor hypocrisy, if 
we may be allowed the expression, which is much more 

32 



270 



SERMON XVI. 



common, and from which few of us can plead entire ex- 
emption. Whenever we engage in devotional exercises, 
without a becoming sense of the solemnity of the transac- 
tion, we take the name of the Lord our God in vain. 
Even the best of Christians, from the influence of habit, 
or the occurrence of some adventitious circumstance, or 
the sudden suggestion of foreign thoughts and emotions, 
may, for a short period, become, in this respect, repre- 
hensible. And how frequently does it happen, that they 
who have not experienced the power of religion in their 
souls, and who, having no strong desire to be accounted 
pious, cannot be called hypocrites, in the strict sense 
of that term, regularly observe most of the external 
forms of public worship which God has prescribed? 
Are they not guilty, to a certain extent, of taking the 
Deity's name in vain ? Beyond all doubt they are. — 
Brethren, might we not here ask, whether you have been 
entirely free from this sin, even during the few minutes 
that have elapsed since we came together this evening? 
Tell us, have not your minds been occasionally reverting 
to the things of time, when they should have been ab- 
sorbed in those of eternity? Is it not a fact, that the 
business and the pleasures of the world, have diverted 
your attention from those momentous subjects, with which 
you ought to have been exclusively occupied ? Do we 
not assert a truth which conscience will not permit you 
to deny, when we say that the recollected concerns of the 
past week, or the anticipated concerns of the next week, 
have engaged a large share of those meditations, which it 
behooved you to employ on topics appropriate to the Sab- 
bath and the sanctuary of Jehovah ? 

We might go on to point out other modes in which the 
third commandment is contravened. But enough has 
been said on the general nature, and particular applica- 



sermon xvr. 271 

tions of this commandment, to enable every individual to 
pursue the subject for himself, and to determine what 
omissions of duty involve the guilt of " taking the name 
of the Lord our God in vain." 

We must not, however, conclude without adverting to 
the sanction by which the third precept of the decalogue 
is enforced, or, to adopt the technical style of our Shorter 
Catechism, " the reason annexed to" it. " For the Lord 
will not hold him guiltless, that taketh his name in vain." 
" The sinner," says Matthew Henry, " may, perhaps, 
hold himself guiltless, and think there is no harm in it, 
and that God will never call him to an account for it; to 
obviate which suggestion, the threatening is thus express- 
ed, God will ' not hold him guiltless/ as he hopes he 
will ; but more is implied, namely, that God will himself 
be the avenger of those that take his name in vain, and 
they will find it a fearful thing to fall into the hands of 
the living God." The penalty thus attached to the in- 
fraction of this commandment, is of that general kind, 
which God has denounced against the non-observance of 
his pure and righteous law. His own glorious perfec- 
tions, and the best interests of his moral government for- 
bid, that transgressors should be permitted to escape with 
impunity. As judge of all the earth, he will inflict con- 
dign punishment on every culprit. And there is no offence 
which he will chastise with more rigid and unsparing 
severity, than that of taking his name in vain. The na- 
ture of this sin is such, that it is seldom made a subject 
of legislative cognizance on earth, and even when it is so 
made, the legal provisions relating to it are often neglect- 
ed by magistrates, or evaded by offenders. But there is 
a tribunal in the universe, before which the profaneness 
of God's name, shall certainly be arraigned for trial and 
condemnation. He has pledged his word, that they shall 



272 SERMON XVI. 

not be held guiltless, and we know, that what he has said, 
cannot fail of accomplishment. 

And, brethren, can we need an inducement stronger and 
more effectual for avoiding the profanation of our Maker's 
name, than that which the text supplies ? When we are 
thus solemnly assured, that on disobedience to the third 
commandment the Lord will not hold us guiltless, is there 
not presented a motive as cogent as any that could be 
brought to operate upon a well- constituted mind? Who 
does not dread the displeasure of Him, whose prerogative 
it is to destroy both soul and body in hell ? Is there any 
so bold as to rush, with such a threatening staring him 
in the face, on the thick bosses of the Almighty's buck- 
ler ? Awful, indeed, is the infatuation of those, who not- 
withstanding the many denunciations of Jehovah's wrath 
against conduct like theirs, which the sacred volume ex- 
hibits, continue to take the name of the Lord their God in 
vain! 

It affords us no pleasure, dear hearers, to enforce the 
duties of morality, and the higher duties of religion, by 
considerations of a gloomy and an alarming nature. We 
would much rather bring before you topics calculated to 
allure to the practice of virtue, than those which have a 
tendency to deter from the commission of sin. But it is 
not for us to pursue our own course in this matter. The 
Master whom we serve, will not allow us to expatiate al- 
together on the tender mercies of our God. He requires 
us likewise to " persuade men," by " the terrors of the 
Lord." And in the present instance, when the text an- 
nounces the certainty of punishment in the event of delin- 
quency, as a reason for compliance with the precept which 
we have considered, it would be manifestly improper to 
resort to an argument of a different character. 

We entreat you, then, as you would dread a verdict of 



SERMON XVI. 273 

guilty at the bar of God, to avoid taking his name in vain. 
Never speak, nor even think of the divine Being, except 
with the deepest humility and profoundest reverence. Let 
all your attempts to worship him, be marked with sin- 
cerity and fervour. In one word, be it your constant 
endeavour to cultivate such a frame of mind, as will 
qualify you for that intimate and perpetual intercourse 
with him, in which consists the bliss of heaven. 



SERMOJV XVII, 






ACTS VIII. 30, 31. 



"And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and 
said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, ex- 
cept some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would 
come up and sit with him." 

The martyrdom of Stephen, the first individual who 
shed his blood for the cause of Jesus, became the signal 
for that furious persecution of the Christians, which forms 
the opening chapter in the history of Paul. The friends 
of the Saviour naturally took the alarm, and sought safety 
in a precipitate flight from Jerusalem. We are told that 
they scattered themselves abroad, preaching the gospel 
whithersoever they went. It was the lot of Philip the 
evangelist to take the road to Samaria, and to be the in- 
strument of doing much good in that central region of 
Palestine. His ministerial labours proved so successful, 
that the apostles Peter and John repaired to his assist- 
ance; and it may be presumed, that through the joint 
efforts of these devout and indefatigable men, not a few 
were convinced of sin, and brought into the kingdom of 
God's dear Son. 

Philip, on leaving Samaria, was divinely admonished 
to proceed towards the south, in the direction of Gaza. 
As he pursued his journey, he overtook a traveller of 
wealth and consideration, returning from Jerusalem to 
Ethiopia. This individual is described by the sacred 
historian, as " an eunuch of great authority under Can- 
dace, queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all 



SERMON XVII. 275 

her treasure." We are further informed, that he had 
visited the metropolis of Judea " to worship" — a circum- 
stance which leads to the inference, that he was a prose- 
lyte to the Jewish religion. Of his sincerity we have 
good evidence in the fact, that he employed himself as he 
rode homewards in perusing the word of God. Philip, 
moved by an internal suggestion of the Spirit, approached 
his chariot, and found that he was engaged with that part 
of Isaiah which foretells with such minute accuracy, and 
in strains so affecting, the vicarious sufferings of the 
Messiah. The evangelist accosted him with the question, 
" Understandest thou what thou readest?" The reply 
was, "How can I, except some man should guide me?" 
and this was immediately followed by an invitation to 
Philip to ascend the vehicle, and take a seat by his side. 
The sequel of the story we need not relate in detail. 
Suffice it to say, that the passage of Isaiah was explained 
and commented on by the evangelist with so much effect, 
that his distinguished auditor at once embraced the gos- 
pel of Christ, and signified his faith by receiving the 
sacrament of baptism. 

"Understandest thou what thou readest?....How can I, 
except some man should guide me?" — From these words 
we may infer, that the exposition of the word of God by 
a living teacher, is the means best calculated to convert 
sinners, and promote the religious improvement of man- 
kind. Such, brethren, is the proposition which it will 
be our object in this discourse hastily to illustrate and 
enforce. The topic, besides its intrinsic importance, is 
somewhat appropriate to the occasion on which I have 
been called to address you. 

The exposition of the word of God by a living teacher, 
we have said, is the means best suited to convert sinners, 
and promote the religious improvement of mankind. In 



276 SERMON XVII. 

attempting to establish this proposition, it is by no means 
necessary even to approximate the ground assumed by 
the Catholics, that the sacred Scriptures, in themselves, 
are so obscure as to be wholly unfit for popular use. We 
cannot conceive a stronger impeachment of the divine 
wisdom and benevolence, than to imagine that the Deity 
has revealed his will to man, in a form so little intel- 
ligible, so liable to gross and dangerous misapprehension, 
that they for whose benefit it was designed, may, in 
general, be more injured than profited by the free perusal 
of its pages. Far, very far, be it from us to harbour 
such a thought as this. We believe that the Bible, just 
in the state in which it came from heaven — unaccompa- 
nied by a single human note or comment — may be safely 
put into the hands of any individual, however ignorant, 
and however remote from the means of additional instruc- 
tion relative to its contents. Nor can we admit that this 
inestimable volume has ever been, in the least degree, in- 
jurious to a solitary reader, in any other sense, than that 
in which the temporal bounties of God become injurious 
to those who employ them as the instruments of crime. 

We do not propose, then, to maintain, that the sacred 
Scriptures are wholly unintelligible without an inter- 
preter. On the contrary, we affirm, that although some 
portions of them are involved in much obscurity, yet the 
great outlines of human duty are therein revealed with 
all possible perspicuity and distinctness. The candid 
reader of the Bible will have no just ground of complaint, 
that the truths of revelation are hard to be explored — that 
the commandment is hidden from him — that it is far off. 
He will be under no necessity of climbing to heaven, or 
going beyond the sea, to ascertain the will of his Maker. 
He will find, provided he be what we have supposed, a 
sincere inquirer, that the word is nigh him, in his mouth 



SERMON XVII. 27T 

and in his heart, that he may do it.- — Does any one here 
say, that the language of the eunuch, who intimated that 
he could not understand what he was reading, unless 
some person better informed should guide him, is at va- 
riance with what we have now asserted? We answer, 
that the circumstances under which this language was 
uttered, were somewhat peculiar. The eunuch possessed 
only the Old Testament. Besides, he was perusing a 
prediction, with the fulfilment of which, as it had so re- 
cently occurred, he was unacquainted. His case, there- 
fore, was entirely different from that of those who have 
the New Testament as well as the Old, and can com- 
pare the prophecies contained in the one, with the events 
recorded in the other. These two portions of the Bible, 
reflect a degree of reciprocal light, which eminently con- 
tributes to their mutual illustration, and places the modern 
reader in a condition far more favourable for comprehend- 
ing the doctrines and duties of revelation, than the ancient. 

You now see, brethren, that we are not inclined to 
detract from the intrinsic value and efficacy of the sacred 
Scriptures, in order to support our proposition, which 
attributes so high an importance to the exposition of the 
word of God by a living teacher. We trust, that we 
shall be able to demonstrate the truth for which we con- 
tend, without uttering a syllable that shall authorize any 
person to presume, that the diligent and persevering study 
of the Bible in private, is not a most imperious duty, and 
that we who possess this heaven- descended volume, are 
not solemnly bound to labour, in all practicable modes, 
for the circulation of it, until it is read by every intelli- 
gent being on earth, " in his own tongue wherein he was 
born." 

The preaching of the gospel, we assert, holds the first 
rank among those means which God has appointed for 

33 



278 SERMON XVII. 

promoting the moral and religious improvement of man- 
kind. It is thus represented in the New Testament. 
Numerous passages bearing more or less directly on the 
point, might be cited. We shall take only a single one. 
In the Epistle to the Romans, we thus read: "For who- 
soever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be 
saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they 
have not believed ? and how shall they believe in him of 
whom they have not heard ? and how shall they hear 
without a preacher? and how shall they preach except 
they be sent ? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet 
of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad 
tidings of good things ! But they have not all obeyed 
the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed 
our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hear- 
ing by the word of God." Now, this language is remark- 
ably strong and explicit. We are here taught clearly 
and emphatically, that the preaching of the gospel is the 
grand instrument of leading men to that faith, in the ex- 
ercise of which they can call on the name of the Lord, 
and be saved. — We may also appeal to the personal mi- 
nistry of Christ. He appeared as a teacher come from 
God, and in this character made it his sole business to 
traverse the territory of Palestine, announcing that the 
kingdom of heaven was at hand, and urging his hearers 
to repentance, as the duty without which they could not 
be saved. And when the risen Redeemer gave to his 
apostles their commission, he expressed it in terms which 
clearly implied that the primary object of the office with 
which they were invested, was to proclaim to mankind 
the glad tidings of redemption through the merits of the 
Son of God. They devoted themselves most sedulously 
and exclusively to the accomplishment of this object. 
They did not adopt the course which human prudence 



sermon xvn. 279 

would have dictated as the wisest and best — delay the 
oral publication of the gospel, until they had prepared an 
accurate record, in permanent form, of the life, ministry, 
sufferings, death, resurrection, and ascension of their 
Lord. They entered immediately on the duty of preach- 
ing the word \ and it was not until their labours had been 
widely extended, and abundantly blessed, and Chris- 
tianity had gained a firm footing in the world, that it was 
judged expedient to frame those historical documents in 
respect to the Redeemer of our race, with which the 
canon of the New Testament commences. Some writers 
have, indeed, maintained, that the Gospel of Matthew 
appeared within three or four years after the crucifixion 
of Jesus. But there is no satisfactory evidence in sup- 
port of such a conjecture ; and the best critics assign to 
this Gospel a much later date. In fact, there is a pas- 
sage in Irenseus, which would seem to show pretty con- 
clusively, that it could not have been published before 
the year 61 — twenty-seven years after the death of Christ. 
We may also remark, that only two of the Gospels are 
the productions of apostles ; and one of these, we know, 
was not composed till the author had become too far ad- 
vanced in life to be capable of much effort as a preacher, 
and, perhaps, a similar observation is applicable to the 
other. Paul is the only apostle who appears to have em- 
ployed any considerable portion of his time in writing, 
and as he was a man of no ordinary education and lite- 
rature, his Epistles to the churches were, it may be pre- 
sumed, speedily despatched, and interfered but little with 
his more important duty. It should be observed, too, 
that his earliest inspired Epistle — the first of those to the 
Thessalonians — was penned at so late a period as seven- 
teen years after his conversion. The apostles, therefore, 
must have considered themselves as consecrated to the 



280 SERMON XVII. 

business of preaching the gospel. They must have look- 
ed upon the oral publication of evangelical truths, as the 
fit and potent engine for bringing the world to acknow- 
ledge and embrace the Saviour. They suffered no minor 
concerns to divert their attention from the one stupendous 
work which their Lord had given them to perform. We 
accordingly find, that so soon as their converts had grown 
numerous enough to form regular churches, they consti- 
tuted an order of officers on whom was conferred the sig- 
nificant appellation of deacons, and to whom they en- 
trusted the direction of all matters to which they could 
not themselves attend, without neglecting their paramount 
duty — the " ministry of the word." They told the con- 
gregations which they gathered around them, that "it 
was not reason, that they should leave the word of God, 
and serve tables." They enjoined a similar devotedness 
to the work of preaching the gospel, on all whom they 
introduced into the ministry. Nothing can exceed in 
explicitness the instructions of Paul to Timothy and 
Titus, on this point. And what was the result? The 
apostles lived to see Christian churches planted in almost 
every known region of the globe. It may aid our con- 
ceptions of the wonderful success which crowned their 
labours, to recollect two facts. First, our Lord, in pre- 
dicting the fearful overthrow of Jerusalem, mentioned as 
one precursor of that event, that it should not take place, 
before the gospel had been " preached in all the world, 
for a witness unto all nations." Now, the sacred city 
was taken and destroyed in the years 70 and 71 — about 
thirty-seven years after the death of Jesus. Again, Paul, 
in his Epistle to the Romans, quotes, as applicable to the 
actual progress of Christianity, that beautiful passage of 
the Psalmist in reference to the instruction imparted by 
the luminaries of heaven, "Their line is gone out through 



SERMON XVII. 281 

all the earth, and their words to the end of the world." 
The Epistle to the Romans was written about the year 
58, that is, twenty-five years after the death of Jesus. 

And, brethren, has not subsequent experience shown, 
that the preaching of the gospel is the means of grace 
which the great Head of the church condescends, in a 
peculiar manner, to own and bless as an instrument of 
good to Zion ? Point us, if you can, to any other agency? 
through which results so important, and so beneficial to 
the highest interests of man, have been produced. We 
have already admitted, and we here again admit, that the 
perusal of the sacred Scriptures in private is a medium 
through which invaluable benefits of a spiritual nature 
are communicated to the soul. We freely concede, that 
the individual whose circumstances are such as to deprive 
him of the opportunity of attending the ministry of recon- 
ciliation, may, by a diligent and devout study of the in- 
spired record in his closet, grow " wise unto salvation." 
But we contend, that it is the preaching of the word — 
the popular exposition of the Scriptures which has been, 
and will always be, the grand instrument of upholding 
and promoting Christianity in the world. We affirm, 
that the living interpreter of the Bible, if moderately 
qualified for the high office which he sustains, will ever 
make a deeper and more durable impression on any com- 
munity, than the Bible itself will be seen to produce. 
Nor is it going too far to express a doubt, whether the 
mere reading of the sacred Scriptures, in the case of 
those who voluntarily withhold themselves from the public 
proclamations of Jehovah's grace, will suffice to convert 
a sinner to God. 

The question may here be asked, Whence arise the 
superior efficacy and importance which we are disposed 
to attribute to the exposition of the word of God by a 



282 SERMON XVII. 

living teacher? We might answer this query, by at 
once resolving the whole matter into the sovereignty 
of Jehovah. We might say, that the preaching of the 
gospel is pre-eminently an instrument of good to men, 
because the supreme Arbiter of all things has ordained that 
it should be so. Without his blessing, no means can be 
of the least avail; and he has thought fit, in his own good 
pleasure, to confer such blessing peculiarly upon the oral 
exposition of revealed truth. But in addition to this con- 
sideration, we think, that the phenomenon which we are 
called to explain, may be accounted for on known prin- 
ciples of human nature. It is certain, that we are so 
constituted, as to be more generally impressed and bene- 
fited by oral, than by graphic instruction. A plain but 
favourite author* of ours states the whole philosophy of 
this subject in just a dozen and a half of words, when he 
remarks, " There is a force in what is said viva voce, 
which nothing in writing can come up to." If Demos- 
thenes, instead of addressing the Athenians in person, 
had contented himself with furnishing for their perusal, 
the most impassioned essays that his ardent mind could 
produce, would the result have been any thing like what 
his eloquence is known to have realized? Or, if the 
apostles, instead of going from city to city, and village to 
village, preaching the gospel of Christ, had set down at 
Jerusalem, and composed folio upon folio in illustration 
and defence of Christianity, could it have been affirmed, 
as we have seen that it was, in twenty-five or six years 
after the resurrection of their Lord, that, " their line had 
gone out through all the earth, and their words to the 
end of the world?" But we need not enlarge on this 
point. The superiority of oral over written instruction is 

* Burgh in his Dignity of Human Nature. 



SERMON XVII. 283 

generally and practically acknowledged. Every one 
whose experience entitles him to form an opinion on the 
subject, is aware, that both natural and moral science are 
taught in our seminaries with far greater efficacy by the 
living lecturer, than in any other mode. And as the hu- 
man mind operates by the same laws, whatever may be 
the species of truth presented to its attention, who can 
doubt, that the lessons of religion will be inculcated to 
most advantage, when delivered from the lips of the 
living preacher ? We repeat it, there is a sympathy in 
our nature, which disposes us to receive with peculiar in- 
terest what comes directly and personally from a fellow 
being. And although a Dr. Johnson may sneer at the 
idea of any but " an assembly of brutes," as he styled the 
audience of Demosthenes, being influenced by the physi- 
cal attributes of oratory, and although he may gravely tell 
us, in his authoritative way, that " as no corporeal actions 
have any correspondence with theological truth, they 
cannot enforce it," still we assert, that man, whether en- 
lightened or ignorant, refined or barbarous, is more 
powerfully affected with what he hears, than what he 
reads, and also that his impressions will bear an exact 
ratio to the degree of earnestness, or, if you choose so to 
call it, eloquence with which he is addressed. 

These remarks will furnish a sufficient answer to the 
objection which some might be ready to urge against our 
argument, drawn from the importance that is every where 
ascribed to the preaching of the gospel in the New Tes- 
tament. It might be said, that living teachers were pe- 
culiarly needful and useful in the first age of Christianity, 
before the history of Jesus, and the principles of his re- 
ligion were committed to writing, and even afterwards, so 
long as books continued scarce and dear, and the great 
mass of the community were unable to read ; but as a very 



284 SERMON XVII. 

different state of things now prevails, preaching is by no 
means equally important. We freely admit, that the change 
is a most auspicious one for the Christian cause. We be- 
lieve, that the invention of printing has incalculably mul- 
tiplied the facilities for the spread of the gospel. We look 
upon it as a mighty wheel in the complicated machinery 
which Providence will employ in the conversion of the 
world to God. But if, as we have shown, the superior 
efficacy of preaching has its foundation in the very con- 
stitution of our nature, its importance cannot be lessened, 
though, blessed be God ! its power of doing good may be 
greatly increased by any circumstances that can possibly 
occur in the progress of human affairs. 

We are sensible that many Christians will not accord 
with us — at least not to the extent we are disposed to go 
— in our opinion relative to the importance of the preach- 
ing of the gospel compared with the other means of 
grace. There are those who do not hesitate to say, that 
they view this as of less consequence, than the more 
strictly devotional parts of public worship, such as sing- 
ing the praises of God, reading his word, and expressing 
to him the desires of the heart by prayer and supplication, 
together with thanksgiving. Thus our brethren of the 
Episcopal church set a higher value on the exercises of 
their liturgy, than on the discourse which succeeds ; and 
hence the former are so long, that comparatively little 
time is left for the latter, unless tiie speaker is not scru- 
pulous about making an excessive demand on the patience 
of his hearers. Now, while we certainly have no wish 
to censure other denominations, and least of all to find 
fault with the denomination in question, to which for 
various reasons we cherish a particular attachment, we 
hope we may be allowed, in support of our own views on 
this subject, to reiterate the assertion, that the preaching 



SERMON XVII. 285 

of the gospel was unquestionably regarded, in the days 
of apostolic Christianity, as the highest part of divine 
worship. In addition to what has been already stated 
respecting this point, we here venture to say, that it can- 
not be shown, that in the first assemblies of the Christians, 
there were any regular exercises of prayer and praise. 
Social meetings, no doubt, were often held, in which 
such exercises obtained — as when the friends of Peter 
met, during his imprisonment, to intercede with God for 
his deliverance. But there is no positive evidence, so far 
as we are acquainted with the New Testament, that in 
the public congregations convened on the Sabbath, at 
which an apostle or other duly commissioned teacher at- 
tended, any thing was commonly done in addition to the 
ministration of the word, except, perhaps, during the 
celebration of the Lord's supper. We would not now be 
understood as intimating the least doubt as to the propriety 
of making prayer and praise part of the regular business of 
the sanctuary. The circumstances of the church have un- 
dergone changes since the time of the apostles, which 
render the additional exercises that have been introduced, 
both proper and profitable. We should deeply regret to 
see them banished. We should be the last to breathe a 
syllable that might induce any to value them less. But 
while we freely concede, that they are important, the 
sacred claims of what we deem the truth, compel us to 
affirm, that they are not so important as the preaching of 
the gospel. We are persuaded, that a sensible and fer- 
vent discourse from the lips of a servant of Christ, who 
feels at the time his responsibility to his divine Master, 
will contribute far more to benefit a congregation, and 
promote the glory of God, than the service, as it is called, 
of any church, however excellent its matter and style. 
It may here be necessary to observe, that in ascribing 

34 



286 SERMON XVII. 

so much importance to the exposition of the word of Grod 
by a living teacher, we have all along supposed the indi- 
vidual who preaches the gospel to be qualified, in some 
measure, for the high office which he sustains, by his 
natural endowments and literary attainments — one who 
has studied the inspired record with constant and perse- 
vering diligence, and] who neglects no means calculated to 
sharpen and invigorate his intellectual faculties, and fit him 
for the task of elucidating and enforcing divine truth. We 
have no doubt, that the average success of preaching, 
will correspond to the solid acquirements and studious 
habits of those who preach; sincere piety, of course, being 
always presumed as an indispensable requisite. The 
only reason why results far more signal and glorious 
have not flowed from the ministry of the gospel, is, that 
that there has been a sad lack of the right sort of indus- 
try and zeal on the part of those who officiate in this mi- 
nistry. It is vain to tell us, that neither talents, nor science, 
nor indefatigable labour will avail without the blessing of 
.God, and that he can lend efficacy to any instrumentality, 
however feeble and defective. What! is he not at all times 
ready to confer his blessing ? Can we harbour the thought 
that there is unwillingness in him to crown the preaching 
of the gospel with success? Surely not. He always 
waits to be gracious, and whenever the means of doing 
good which he has ordained, and pledged himself to 
bless, prove ineffectual, we may suspect that the fault is 
to be found in the manner in which these means are em- 
ployed. The simple truth of the matter is, that the Deity 
works by instruments, fitted by their own nature to ac- 
complish the end which he contemplates. Nor is it any 
unwarrantable limitation of his omnipotent energy to af- 
firm, that he cannot endue sense and nonsense with an 
equal share of influence over the human miud ; that is, he 



SERMON XVII. 287 

cannot do this without altering, or, rather, subverting 
those laws of mind, which he has himself established* 
No passages of Scripture have been more perverted and 
abused, than certain texts of the New Testament, which 
the ignorant and foolish have understood as implying, 
that ignorance and folly are the qualities in a preacher on 
which Jehovah looks with special complacency, and 
which he generally seconds with the gracious operations 
of his Spirit. Believe us, brethren, it is true in the work 
of the ministry, as in the business of personal religion, 
and in the ordinary affairs of life, that " Grod helps them 
that help themselves." It would be interesting to pursue 
this topic further, did our limits permit us to do so. 

We recur to our original proposition, which, we think, 
we have now sufficiently established, that the preaching 
of the gospel, or, as we termed it, the exposition of the 
word of Grod by a living teacher, is the means best 
adapted to convert sinners, and promote the religious 
improvement of mankind. — Let us next glance for a mo- 
ment, at some of the practical reflections which this truth 
suggests. 

And first, we may hence infer the absurdity, not to say 
the impiety of the course pursued by those who absent 
themselves from the sanctuary of the Most High, under 
the pretence, that they may be more profitably employed 
at home in the perusal of the sacred volume. We are 
aware, indeed, that persons of this description do not, in 
reality, trouble the Bible much, notwithstanding their 
professions of superior regard for its pages. We strongly 
suspect, that couW you obtain the fabled ring which ren- 
dered its possessor .the unseen spectator of any occur- 
rence,* and thus take a look at the Sabbath studies of 

* Vide Cicero De Officiis, lib. iii, cap. ix. 



288 SERMON XVII. 

these individuals who prize the sacred Scriptures so 
highly? y° u would be likely to find Shakspeare, or the 
last Waverly, or some Review or file of newspapers, 
more frequently their companion than the word of God. 
But granting that they do read the Bible, we still charge 
them with undervaluing the first and most important of 
the means of grace, and, if we knew of any mode in 
which the admonition could be conveyed to them, we 
would warn them, that if they persist in such a course, 
their chance of salvation is a forlorn hope — -they must 
perish in their sins. 

Again, we observe, that they who are favoured with 
the preaching of the gospel, may hence learn how solemn 
and imperative is the duty of improving this most ines- 
timable advantage. " Take heed," brethren, " how ye 
hear." Remember that your eternal well-being is in- 
volved in this matter. The truths to which your atten- 
tion is called in the house of God, will exert a potent and 
a lasting influence over your character and condition, 
when every memorial of your existence shall have faded 
from the earth, and when even the earth itself shall have 
been burnt up. The minister of Christ is a savour either 
of life unto life, or of death unto death, to those to whom 
he publishes the message of his Master's grace. Wo to the 
individual who lives in a Christian land, and hears the 
tidings of salvation proclaimed on every returning Sab- 
bath, and yet remains a stranger to penitence and faith — 
a practical rejecter of Him who died for the expiation of 
human guilt — a rebel against the paternal authority of his 
Creator. Ah ! he is destined to occupy a place in the 
world of wo, deeper and darker — more ignominious and 
wretched — than that from which the inhabitants of Sodom 
and Gomorrah, Tyre and Sidon, are now emitting the 
fruitless lamentations of insufferable anguish ! We say 



SERMON XVII. 



289 



fruitless, for be it ever recollected, that the preaching of 
the gospel, with all its advantages, is a benefit confined 
to the present state. No ministry of reconciliation has 
been provided for those who die impenitent. The gloomy 
abodes of hell shall never be visited by a herald from 
the God of grace — no, never ! What would not the ago- 
nized inmates of the bottomless pit, give for the ability to 
recall a single one of the many Sabbaths, with its golden 
opportunities, which, when on earth, they allowed to pass 
away unimproved? And O! will any of you, dear hearers, 
by imitating their example, become the partners of their 
despair? Pause — reflect seriously and maturely, before 
you decide. 

We may further learn from the subject under con- 
sideration, that it is the duty of all who enjoy the preach- 
ing of the gospel themselves, to contribute, so far as 
circumstances will permit, to extend this invaluable privi- 
lege to those who are destitute of it. The man who views 
the ministry of reconciliation in its proper and scriptural 
light, and who has experienced its blessed influence in 
his own soul, cannot be other than a sincere and an 
ardent friend to missions, both foreign and domestic. 
What judgment must we form of that professor of reli- 
gion, who deems it enough to save himself — who cares 
comparatively little for the spiritual welfare of his chil- 
dren — and who is wholly indifferent with regard to the 
everlasting destiny of others, whether in his immediate 
vicinity, in the remote settlements of his country, or in 
regions separated by intervening oceans? Such apathy 
might have been tolerated once, when even the best of 
men were not sufficiently enlightened on this point. But 
it can be tolerated no more. The deep night of ignorance 
and slumber, which so long obscured the glories and 
palsied the energies of Zion, has come to an end. The 



290 SERMON XVII. 

sun of righteousness, with healing in his wings, has sur- 
mounted the horizon — the gloom is dispersed — the bustle 
of awakening agents is beginning to be heard — and the 
mountain-tops already glitter in the new-born radiance, 
and re-echo with the din of action. And O! shall any 
that bear the Christian name, continue lukewarm and 
inert under circumstances such as these? Shall one in- 
dividual who comes to the table of the Lord, look with- 
out interest, and intense interest too, on the sublime efforts 
now making for the spread of the gospel at home and 
abroad ? We trust not. I cannot forget that my audience 
is composed of Christians, who have been taught from 
the sacred volume, U to weep with them that weep," and 
to tt do good unto all men ;" who have learned from the 
best authority, that there is a "charity that seeketh not 
her own" — a charity so vitally connected with the prin- 
ciples of genuine devotion, that it shall continue to warm 
and to animate the spirit, when prophecies shall fail, 
when tongues shall cease, and when knowledge shall va- 
nish away. 

And now, dear hearers, I come to apply these general 
remarks to the particular occasion on which I address 
you. I appear before you in behalf of the Missionary 
Society connected with the New Castle Presbytery.* 
You are aware, it is presumed, that this society has been 
formed for the laudable purpose of supplying the destitute 
districts within our own presbyterial bounds, with the 
benefits of the ministry of reconciliation. That our ter- 
ritory affords such districts, is a lamentable fact. And 
that it is a duty to do the utmost that our resources will 
allow, to place them in a better condition, will surely not 
be doubted by any who entertain correct views relative to 

* Preached at Lancaster, 2d Sabbath of August, 1828. 



SERMON XVII. 291 

the importance of a preached gospel. We ask, then, 
what will you contribute towards this object? Consider, 
we entreat you, before you decide. The welfare of im- 
mortal souls hangs upon the decision. Your answer, too, 
may have a material bearing on your own happiness 
through eternity. It is no trivial point which you are 
called on to determine. Again, therefore, we say, what, 
hearers of the gospel, will you this morning give, to aid 
in extending the precious privilege which a bountiful 
providence has conferred upon you, to others, who, unless 
the charity of their Christian brethren should interpose 
in their behalf, must remain ignorant and wretched for 
the want of some one to guide them in the study of the 
word of God? O! you cannot resolve that a pittance 
will be enough. You cannot conclude that a small con- 
tribution will suffice for this occasion. We must indulge 
the thought that your donations will be liberal — such as 
you shall not be ashamed of, when you come to die — 
such as you shall not tremble to have published to the 
universe in the day of judgment, when the New Testa- 
ment leads us to anticipate, that a rigid inquiry will be 
instituted into the benevolent acts of men. Yes, dear 
hearers, we hope that you will give amply and cheer- 
fully. This we hope for your own sakes, as well as on 
account of the destitute for whom we plead, since it is 
our sincere desire and prayer to God, not only that they 
may be furnished with the preaching of the gospel, but 
also that you, by a wise instrumentality in turning many 
to righteousness, may at last shine as the brightness of 
the firmament, and as the stars for ever and ever. 



SERMON XVIII. 



JOHN VI. 28, 29. 

" Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works 
of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that 
ye believe on him whom he hath sent." 

This passage presents us with part of a conference, 
which took place between Christ and the Jews in one of 
the synagogues of Capernaum. The Saviour was follow- 
ed to that city by an immense concourse of people from 
the opposite shore of the sea of Tiberias, who had beheld 
the miracle of five thousand men, besides women and 
children, fed with five barley loaves and two small fishes. 
So stupendous an exertion of super-human power filled 
the spectators with astonishment, and compelled them to 
exclaim, " This is, in truth, that prophet that should come 
into the world." Their admiration of Jesus was raised to 
the highest pitch of enthusiasm, inasmuch, that they de- 
termined to " take him by force," and " make him a 
king." Our Lord, to prevent an officious display of zeal 
so little conformable to the object of his divine mission, 
withdrew to a mountain, and there secreted himself till 
the evening. He then walked over " the sea of Tiberias," 
or, as it is at other times called, " the sea of Galilee," 
and " the lake of Gennesareth." As soon as he reached 
Capernaum, he repaired to a synagogue, and began to 
deliver religious instruction to the assembly. The mul- 
titude who had crossed the water in pursuit of him, found 
him thus occupied, and immediately accosted him with 



SERMON XVIII. 293 

the question, "Rabbi, when earnest thou hither ?" Jesus 
replied, " Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye follow me, 
not because ye saw the miracle, but because ye did eat of 
the loaves and were filled. Labour not for the meat 
which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto 
everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give you ; 
for him hath God the father sealed." This remark 
introduced the conversation, the commencement of which 
is related in our text : " Then said they unto him, What 
shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 
Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of 
God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." 

Commentators are not agreed whether this conference 
was between Christ and the people who had followed him 
across the water, or between him and the citizens of Ca- 
pernaum who had previously assembled in the synagogue. 
The inquiry, however, is one of no consequence. It can- 
not affect the great moral and religious truths involved in 
the passage. To the careful and solemn consideration of 
these truths we would now solicit your attention. And 
may the Spirit of our God open a door of entrance for the 
word of his grace into every heart ! 

The question, " What shall we do, that we may work 
the works of God ?" is such as must occasionally arise in 
every mind. We are all conscious of our dependence on 
some invisible power. We feel our obligations to some 
munificent Benefactor, from whom all our blessings flow. 
We have a sense of accountability to Him for the manner 
in which we employ his bounties. Hence results an anxiety 
to discover in what way the unseen Divinity may be most 
effectually conciliated, and most gratefully adored. The 
religious sentiment thus defined, is a part of that magnifi- 
cent furniture with which the Creator originally adorned 
our moral nature. It is a sentiment indelibly engraven 

35 



294 SERMON XVILI. 

on the human heart, "like that image of himself," to 
borrow a beautiful illustration, " which Phidias wished 
to perpetuate by stamping it so deeply on the buckler of 
his Minerva, that no one could obliterate it without des- 
troying the entire statue." Long indulgence in evil habits 
may, indeed, impair the force of this sentiment. But 
though it may be impaired, it cannot be wholly subdued. 
To take an extreme case. We sometimes behold indi- 
viduals in whom the " still small voice" of conscience ap- 
pears to be completely silenced. They seem to have 
succeeded in extinguishing the moral light which Chris- 
tianity had infused into their souls. They throw the 
sacred volume away from them in disdain. They aban- 
don the sanctuary of Jehovah. They avoid the society 
of the virtuous, and mingle only with the most depraved 
portions of the community. And yet even these indi- 
viduals cannot escape altogether from the deep- searching 
Spirit of the Most High. There are periods in their un- 
hallowed career in which they awake to a momentary 
sense of their awful and degraded situation — periods of 
anxiety and alarm similar to those with which Caligula 
himself is said to have been visited, as often as the sound 
of thunder shook the heavens — periods in which they 
cannot help exclaiming with the utmost sincerity and the 
deepest interest, " What shall we do that we may work 
the works of God ?" — We perceive, then, that the ques- 
tion in our text is a natural, as well as a highly important 
one. 

We proceed to remark, that the phraseology of this 
question deserves particular notice, inasmuch as it brings 
to view an error on the general subject of religion, which, 
we fear, is extensively prevalent. The Saviour had said 
to the Jews, " Labour not for the meat which perisheth, 
but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life." 



sermon xvm. 295 

Now, it should be observed, that the original term here 
rendered "Labour," is precisely the same which occurs 
in the subsequent inquiry, " What shall we do that we 
may work," or labour "the works of God?" The 
auditors of Christ thus appear to have seized with some- 
thing like avidity, on the word " labour" or " work," as 
if they deemed it favourable to their own views respecting 
the nature and requirements of religion. What those 
views were, we all very well know. The Pharisees con- 
ceived, that nothing more was necessary to obtain the 
divine favour, than a strict observance of the Levitical 
institutions, conjoined with such a conformity to the moral 
law, as fallen man is capable of rendering. Hence the 
language in which the young ruler addressed the Messiah: 
" Good master, what good thing shall I do, that I may 
have eternal life ?" 

Human nature is essentially the same in every age. 
The erroneous apprehensions entertained by the Jews 
eighteen hundred years ago, in respect to the proper mode 
of securing the approbation of Deity, are virtually em- 
braced by not a few in our own day. Nothing is more 
common than to hear men talk as if they deemed religion 
a work which might be performed at any time, and with 
comparatively little effort. They do not, indeed, agree 
with the Pharisees of old, in looking upon forms and 
ceremonies as of much moment. On the contrary, they 
are entirely at issue with them in regard to this matter. 
They are far from thinking it necessary to fast twice in 
the week, and to give tithes of all that they possess. 
Nor are they so sanctimonious as to stop at the corners of 
the public streets, and engage in devotional exercises. 
But they are thoroughly persuaded, that if they only lead 
an upright and a temperate life, and cultivate benevolent 
feelings towards all around them, they cannot fail of 



296 SfcRMON XYIIJ. 

attaining happiness beyond the grave. While they admit 
that the morality inculcated in the New Testament is of 
a lofty and an attractive kind — fitted to promote the best 
interests of man, both as an individual and as a social 
being — while they grant all this, they must confess that 
they are at an utter loss to discern, why it is that so much 
importance is attached to a certain vague, and, as it would 
seem to them, involuntary act of the mind called faith. 
In other words, they do not relish the principles of the 
Christian economy, so far as such principles are not to be 
identified with bare ethical precepts. They go to church; 
but then they have no taste for dry theological discussions 
like those which are ever and anon delivered from our 
orthodox pulpits. They like to hear what they are 
pleased to style, " a good moral discourse." They are 
decidedly of the opinion, that no sort of preaching is so 
well calculated to benefit an audience, as that in which 
little or nothing is said about doctrines, and much stress 
is laid upon practice. For their parts, they think the 
often-quoted maxim of the poet an excellent one — 

"For modes of faith let senseless zealots fight; 
His can't be wrong, whose life is in the right." 

Brethren, there is nothing more uniformly characteristic 
of what the New Testament denominates the "carnal 
mind," than a disposition to rely on mere moral virtues as 
a sufficient ground of salvation. Fallen man, in his un- 
renewed state, is obstinately wedded to the notion, that 
he is competent to save himself. The experience of every 
Christian can point him to a period in his history, when, 
whatever may have been his theoretical views, he felt the 
practical influence of such a notion on his heart and con- 
duct. Thus it was with the apostle Paul. He tells us, 
that, prior to his conversion, he was, as he expresses it, 
"alive without the law." He thought that he was then 



SERMON XVIII. 297 

living " in all good conscience before Grod." He plumed 
himself not a little on certain advantages, to which many 
others could lay no claim. He was "circumcised the 
eighth day;" had descended from "the stock of Israel;" 
was "of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the He- 
brews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; concerning 
zeal, persecuting the church ; touching the righteousness 
which is in the law, blameless." But so soon as his soul 
was brought under the power of divine grace, the things 
which had previously been gain to him, he counted loss. 
Yes, and all his hopes of heaven thenceforth rested on 
the merits of his Redeemer, which he appropriated to 
himself in the exercise of faith. 

We may therefore venture to affirm, that the natural 
corruption of the human heart, is the real source of that 
disrelish for the peculiar doctrines of the gospel to which 
we have alluded. The simple fact, that "the carnal 
mind is enmity against God," abundantly explains the 
aversion so generally manifested to pure, evangelical 
truth — an aversion which pervades all orders of society, 
but exerts a stronger sway in the circles of literature and 
in the ranks of fashion. The grand excellence of the 
Christian system consists in its tendency to humble the 
pride of man, by teaching him his utter inability to ren- 
der suitable obedience to his Maker's will, and thus 
leading him to a meek and an implicit confidence in the 
divine Mediator. A revolution, at once radical and en- 
tire, must therefore be effected in all his views, and feel- 
ings, and habits, before he can contemplate this system 
with any other emotions than those of dislike and positive 
opposition. Hence it is that the minister of the gospel, 
who commands the respectful attention and cordial assent 
of all his hearers, so long as he expatiates on the beauty 
and advantages of virtue, and denounces those vices 



298 -SERMON XVHI. 

which militate against the dignity of man, the happiness 
of families, and the general good of society — has the 
mortification to discover, that, no sooner does he rise 
above the province of a mere lecturer on moral science, 
and bring into distinct and prominent view the topics 
which distinguish the religion of the New Testament 
from a well-fabricated scheme of ethics, than his ad- 
dresses, however sensible, and sound, and fervent, are 
accounted, by some at least of his audience, enthusiastic 
and comparatively unprofitable. They consider faith as 
a useless theme; and simply because theirs are hearts 
" deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked." 

The answer of our Lord to the question of the Jews, 
exhibits, in one short sentence, an elementary view of 
evangelical religion : " This is the work of God, that ye 
believe on him whom he hath sent." Of a similar pur- 
port is the language of John in his first general Epistle : 
"And this is his [God's] commandment, that ye believe 
on the name of his Son Jesus Christ." Many are the 
passages of the New Testament, in which faith is en- 
joined as the one great and paramount duty which Jeho- 
vah requires of man. When the jailer of Philippi 
exclaimed, " Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" the 
reply of Paul and Silas was, "Believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ, and thou shalt be saved." 

We have already intimated, that it is the doctrine of 
salvation entirely by faith, which renders the gospel so 
unacceptable to the majority of those to whom it is 
preached. Against this doctrine, which constitutes the 
grand peculiarity of the Christian system, philosophy has 
opened all its batteries — wit has exhausted all its re- 
sources of ridicule and satire. The sage politician, too, 
has gravely told us, how much the cause of morality is 
injured, and the welfare of society jeoparded, by the in- 



SERMON XV11I. 299 

culcation of a tenet which represents the mere metaphy- 
sical act of believing, as sufficient to insure the future and 
eternal felicity of man. To the general adoption of such 
a tenet, some writers wise in their own conceit, have re- 
ferred many of the disorders which have prevailed in 
communities, while it is a fact, in support of which we 
may appeal to the unerring testimony of history, that a 
higher standard of virtue, and a greater measure of tem- 
poral happiness, have always obtained in proportion as 
the very doctrine in question has acquired an ascendency 
over the minds of men. Tell us of any order of indivi- 
duals, who, with all their extravagance and all their ab- 
surdities, achieved so real and noble a victory over the 
dominion of evil habits, and the contagion of vicious ex- 
amples, as the memorable Puritans. And to what did 
they owe such victory — a triumph more splendid than 
the rout of armies, or the capture of cities? We answer 
without hesitancy, that they owed it to their practical 
conviction of the great truth inculcated in our text, that, 
" the work of God," is to " believe on him whom he hath 
sent." 

We may here remark, that they who dislike this lead- 
ing principle of the gospel, are wholly incompetent to 
decide upon its merits, because they bring to the investi- 
gation of the subject, minds obscured and perverted by 
ignorance and prejudice. They have not experienced 
the benign effects of faith, in their own hearts and on 
their own conduct; and, therefore, the views which they 
have formed in respect to the nature of this evangelical 
duty, are essentially erroneous. Who does not see, that 
under such circumstances, they are no more entitled to 
pronounce the Christian system fanatical and absurd, 
than the individual who is unacquainted with mathema- 
tical science, would have a right to reject the Newtonian 
theory of the universe as unfounded and preposterous. 



300 



SERMON XVIII. 



What is faith? Does it consist in a mere speculative 
belief of the truths developed in the sacred volume? Is 
it nothing more than an act of the understanding by 
which credence is given to the various facts narrated by 
the historians of the Old and New Testaments? Is it a 
mental exercise precisely similar to that which takes place, 
when we admit that Julias Caesar was assassinated on the 
ides of March in the senate-chamber of Rome; or, when 
after perusing a geometrical demonstration, we yield our 
assent to the proposition which has been clearly and con- 
clusively proved? This, beyond doubt, is a species of 
faith. But it is not the faith for which the gospel calls. 
The latter is eminently a practical principle — a principle 
which works by love, purifies the heart, and overcomes 
the world — a principle which, like the main-spring 
of a watch, extends its influence directly or indi- 
rectly to every part of the moral system of man. 
That this account of faith is strictly accurate, may 
be inferred with sufficient clearness from the decla- 
ration of Scripture, that u with the heart man believeth 
unto righteousness." This language is not to be under- 
stood as implying, that faith is an act in which the under- 
standing, properly so called, has no share. It simply 
imports, that the belief of revealed truth is more than an 
operation of pure intellect, and combines the exercise of 
all those internal powers by which the human being is 
impelled to action. "The word of God," says Calvin, 
" is not received by faith, when it floats on the surface of 
the brain, but when it has taken deep root in the heart, 
so as to become an impregnable fortress, to sustain and 
repel all the assaults of temptation." We may add, that 
the apostle James has drawn a clear and broad line of 
distinction between a mere speculative conviction of di- 
vine truth, and that faith which is inseparably connected 



SERMON XV1IL 301 

with salvation. To exhibit the subject in the strongest 
light, he tells us, that " the devils believe and tremble." 
And yet their belief exerts no salutary influence on their 
character and destiny. It has no other effect than to in- 
crease their malignity, and augment their misery. 

It is not unworthy of observation, that faith is denomi- 
nated in our text, a work. " This is the work of God, 
that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." Now, we 
may hence infer, that faith comprises all the essential 
elements of that obedience which God requires of man. 
In other words, the belief of divine truth involves every 
thing that is necessary to our ultimate salvation. We are 
aware, that we are now approaching ground, on which we 
may have to combat the prejudices of the theologian, no less 
than those of the moralist. It has been common for sys- 
tematic writers on divinity, to consider faith as the source 
of evangelical obedience, rather than as evangelical obedi- 
ence itself. They usually describe good works as the 
offspring — the necessary effect — of belief in the Saviour. 
Now, we are not inclined, nor, indeed, prepared to deny, 
that this distinction, viewed as a purely metaphysical one, 
may be correct. But we contend that it is a distinction 
not very clearly sanctioned by the phraseology of the in- 
spired record, and which, so far as we can perceive, is 
capable of being turned to no practical account. The 
Scriptures appear to us to represent faith as the vital 
principle — the very sum and substance — of the morality 
enjoined in their pages. They declare, that "Faith with- 
out works is dead," or, in other words, does not exist. 
They allege, that the grand object of the mystery revealed 
in the advent of Jesus Christ, is to bring all nations to "the 
obedience of faith." And what can be more explicit than the 
language of the apostle in his Epistle to the Galatians ? — 
"The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of 

36 



302 SERMON XVIII. 

the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for 
me." In the prophecies of Habakkuk we read, " The 
just shall live by faith" — a passage which seems to have 
been a favourite one with Paul, for it is quoted by him no 
less than three times in the course of his several Epistles. 

We are now able to discern the true reason, why so 
much stress is laid upon faith in the New Testament. 
We see, that this term, in Scriptural phraseology, is but 
another name for love to God, and love to man — that all 
the essential constituents of evangelical obedience are 
united in that complex act, or, as some would call it, 
habit of the soul which receives Jesus Christ, the only 
Saviour of sinners, as he is offered in the gospel. It is 
by faith that we obtain the knowledge of our own de- 
pravity and helplessness, and are induced to seek an in- 
terest in the pardoning mercy of our God, and to rely 
upon him for aid in the discharge of our various duties. 
It is faith which delineates to our admiring view the ex- 
cellence and loveliness of the Redeemer's character, and 
inspires us with a sincere and an ardent desire to imitate 
the example of his pure and benevolent life. It is faith 
which treads with firm but humble steps the path to glory 
— enters within the veil, and ascertains the reality of 
things invisible, thus teaching us the comparative insig- 
nificance of all terrestrial objects, and lifting our devout 
aspirations to an unfading inheritance in realms of celes- 
tial light and bliss. In short, it is faith which constitutes 
our bond of union with the Lord Jesus, and invests us 
with a title to all the transcendent benefits which it was 
the end of his mission to procure for mankind. 

We must not, however, omit, in this place, to remark, 
that the representation which has now been given of the 
nature of faith, is neither designed nor calculated to 
countenance the idea, that the performance of this duty 



SERMON XVIII. 303 

can be a meritorious ground of salvation. Let it be dis- 
tinctly observed, that there is not the least merit in the 
act or habit of believing (even when it is considered as 
including the whole of evangelical obedience) which 
atones for past omissions of duty, and entitles us to the 
favour of an offended God. Faith is itself a boon for 
which we are indebted to heaven, just as really as for 
any other of the numerous blessings which we enjoy. It 
is a duty which cannot be performed, until the heart has 
undergone a great moral change produced by the agency 
of God himself in the person of the Holy Ghost. And, 
in fact, all the connexion which we can trace between 
faith and salvation, arises from the circumstance, that the 
former is that peculiar exercise ofHhe soul,;in which we vir- 
tually abandon our once cherished dependence on our own 
virtues, and rely, with entire and exclusive confidence, on 
the mediation of the Son of God. 

It may be presumed, that we have now said enough to 
elucidate the close and indissoluble alliance that subsists 
between evangelical faith and pure morality. The pro- 
mulgation of the one is the most direct and certain means 
of enforcing the other. In support of this position, to 
which not a few will demur, we may adduce a fact which 
is generally and ought to be universally known. The 
celebrated Dr. Chalmers, than whom a more profound 
and philosophical observer of human nature has probably 
never been, informs us, that for upwards of twelve years, 
his ministerial labours were unsuccessful, because he had 
neglected, during all that time, to expound the peculiar 
doctrines, and insist on the peculiar duties of the gospel. 
He says, that he is " not sensible, that all the vehemence 
with which he urged the virtues and the proprieties of 
social life had the weight of a feather on the moral habits 
of his parishioners." In a word, he has left it on record, 



304 SERMON XVIII. 

as the result of his own experience, that to preach 
Christ, is the only effective way of preaching 
morality in all its branches. We might also appeal 
to the opinion of the distinguished Whitfield, who, on 
being once requested to denounce from the pulpit, thea- 
trical entertainments, is said to have replied, that his ob- 
ject was to render his auditors Christians, and then they 
might relish such entertainments if they could. But it 
were superfluous to multiply authorities on this subject. 
We are persuaded, that there has never been a really 
useful preacher — we mean a preacher that converted souls 
to Grod — the burden of whose public addresses was not 
the great truth inculcated in our text. We venture to 
assert, that all the polished essays that could be penned 
in commendation of truth, candour, integrity, and bene- 
volence, and all the energetic philippics that could be 
uttered against the opposite vices, would fail of elevating 
a single human being to heaven. Far— very far, be it 
from us to say, that topics such as these should never be 
adverted to in the sacred desk. We only affirm, that 
when the pulpit, from 

" the sober use 

Of its legitimate, peculiar pow'rs," 

is transformed into a vehicle for the conveyance of mere 
ethical precepts — when the minister of the gospel, who 
ought "to know nothing among" his hearers, "save 
Jesus Christ and him crucified," keeps in the back 
ground the distinctive doctrines and duties of the New 
Testament, and usurps the office of a professor of moral 
philosophy, — the consequences must be disastrous, alike 
to the temporal and the spiritual interests of man. 

We reiterate what we have already said, that the 
Christian scheme has no tendency to injure or endanger 
the high interests of virtue and morality. On the con- 



SERMON XVIII. 305 

trary, it secures these interests more — much more, effec- 
tually, than any system of any philosopher in any age. 
Jesus Christ is not " the minister of sin." Of him it was 
foretold, in the records of ancient prophecy, that when 
he should " come to his temple," as " the messenger of 
the covenant," he would be " like a refiner's fire, and 
like fullers' soap" — that he would then "purify" his 
people as " gold and silver," and enable them to " offer 
unto the Lord an offering in righteousness." O! never 
"let the doctrine of gratuitous salvation, which forms the 
glory of the New Testament, be calumniated, as promis- 
ing happiness on terms incompatible with the promotion 
of love to God and benevolence to man ! The charge 
we boldly pronounce an unfounded one. Christianity 
expressly and emphatically teaches, that without holiness 
no individual of our fallen race can be admitted into the 
divine presence. It gives us to understand, that we 
must be saved " through sanctification of the Spirit and 
belief of the truth," or, as the passage might be as well 
rendered, "through sanctification of the Spirit," even 
" the belief of the truth ;" thus identifying faith with an 
upright and a devout life. Indeed, nothing more re- 
markably distinguishes the scheme which we advocate, 
from all other schemes that have been or are now preva- 
lent in the world, than the inviolable affinity which it 
proclaims to subsist between present purity and future 
glory. It proffers felicity only on the rigid condition of 
departing from evil and doing good. Faith, the grand 
sine qua non — the indispensable requisition of the gos- 
pel, has been shown to involve a degree of moral recti- 
tude and beauty, surpassing all the refinements of philo- 
sophy — transcending the most exalted and brilliant visions 
of poetry. In short, the essence of virtue is centred in 
an humble and an affectionate submission to the Son of 



306 SERMON XVIII. 

God. It consists in "living no more to ourselves, but to 
him who died for us and rose again." 

" Talk we of morals ? O thou bleeding Love ! 
Thou maker of new morals to mankind! 
The grand morality is love of thee." 

Brethren, you have now seen the importance of faith. 
Your assembling within these walls to-night, is a virtual 
proposition to us, as the servant of Christ, of the question 
— " What shall we do that we may work the works of 
God?" And are we not bound to return the same an- 
swer which was given by our Lord himself to the inquir- 
ing Jews? Surely we must reply, "This is the work 
of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." Yes, 
we dare not do other than announce faith as the only 
condition of salvation. This, dear hearers, is the grand 
duty which Jehovah requires of you. It is denominated 
in our text, " the work of God," because he both com- 
mands and enables you to perform it. " Without faith, 
it is impossible to please him." Nay, " whatsoever is 
not of faith is sin." How deplorable then is the situa- 
tion of those (and they are not a few) whose hopes of 
heaven are founded solely on their own virtues ! O ! for 
a tongue to warn them of their danger ! O ! for an arm 
of strength to break and dispel the delusion which is be- 
guiling them down to the world of wo ! Their case is, 
perhaps, of all others the most jeopardous. The open and* 
conscious transgressor may be penetrated with feelings of 
contrition, and reclaimed from the error of his ways. But 
it is no easy matter to produce such feelings in the bo- 
som of the individual who believes that his life has been, 
on the whole, as irreproachable as the imperfections of 
his nature would seem to admit, and who has long enter- 
tained the conviction, that his general integrity and be- 
nevolence will atone for his occasional failings, and insure 



SERMON XVIII. 307 

his happiness beyond the grave. Is there such an indi- 
vidual in the audience before us ? We must tell you, 
dear friend, that there is not much probability of your 
salvation. We greatly fear, that you will never get to 
heaven. All things, indeed, are possible with God. But 
it rarely happens that he vouchsafes the blessed influ- 
ences of his Spirit, to one in your condition. 

We cannot conclude, brethren, without reminding you, 
that as you have been rendered acquainted with " the 
work of God," you are under imperious obligations to 
perform it. You have been told again and again, that an 
awful account will be exacted of those who refuse to be- 
lieve on an offered Saviour. May none of us, dear 
hearers, come into the condemnation which shall certainly 
overtake such! Of the heathen, to whose abodes the 
Bible has never obtained access, nor the missionary of 
the cross found his way, charity leads us to indulge the 
hope, that they shall not all be lost. But what line can 
fathom the depths, what eye can pierce the gloom, of that 
dungeon which is prepared for those who sink down to 
endless ruin from this favoured land, where the Sabbath 
smiles, where the sanctuary of Jehovah rears its hallowed 
front, and where the glorious day-spring from on high, 
gladdens every valley and gilds every mountain ! Ah! 
let me have my eternal portion with the citizens of an- 
cient Greece and Rome — let my final residence be in that 
region where the spirits of departed Cherokees, Hindoos, 
and Tartarians are gathered — but, God of mercy ! may I 
never experience the doom of those, who, out of the very 
bosom of Christianity, are cast into the lake that burneth 
with fire and brimstone ! 



SERMON XIX. 

PROVERBS XXVIII. 26. (First Clause.) 
" He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool." 

One of the best evidences of the divine origin of the 
sacred Scriptures, is their tendency to humble the creature 
and elevate the Creator. It has been argued, that man 
could not be the uninspired author of a volume exhibiting 
such a view of the relation between God and ourselves, as 
compels us to admit, that we are nothing, and that he is 
all and IN ALL. 

On the fairness and the force of this argument, it is not 
our present purpose to insist. Our business is only with 
the fact which constitutes the premises of the argument. 
We presume, then, that every man possessing the ordi- 
nary powers of discernment and reflection, who reads the 
sacred Scriptures, will grant, that they contain no very 
flattering estimate of the dignity and excellence of human 
nature. While philosophers of every sect and in every 
age have sought to exalt, their object appears to be to 
abase our species. They tear away the splendid and 
imposing drapery which moralists and poets would throw 
around the imperfections and pollutions of the world. 
They assert, in no equivocal language, that we are all 
aliens from the favour of our Maker— that we have con- 
tracted a deep and an inveterate hostility to his authority 
and laws. They declare, that the only process of re- 
covery from this deplorable condition, consists in the most 



SERMON XIX. 309 

lowly and penitent acknowledgment of our past offences, 
and the most unreserved reliance on the gracious aid of 
Heaven for the ability to avoid future offences. They 
dwell with emphasis upon our own insufficiency to regain 
the character and standing in the universe which, as fal- 
len beings, we have lost. They assure us again and 
again, that the great work of our moral restoration can- 
not be effected without the assistance of God — that to 
attempt this work in our own strength, is the very height 
of fatuity and presumption. Thus it is written in our 
text, " He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool." 

These words would claim our attention as coming 
from an individual distinguished for his profound know- 
ledge of mankind — one whose extraordinary natural sa- 
gacity was quickened and matured by long experience, un- 
der circumstances the most favourable for an extensive 
observation of humau character and conduct. — But the pas- 
sage before us is of still higher authority. It has been re- 
corded by the pen of inspiration. It proceeds, in reality, from 
Him who formed the heart of man, and who is therefore 
best acquainted with its weakness and its strength. 

Brethren, how prone are we all to trust in our own 
hearts I We cherish the most favourable opinion of our- 
selves. We deem our intellectual faculties keener and 
more vigorous than they are. We imagine that our 
moral character, though not entirely exempt from blem- 
ishes, is comparatively pure and bright. In short, so 
high is the estimate which we form of our own ability, that 
there is scarcely any enterprise which we decline from 
a consciousness of incompetency. 

This general disposition to think well of ourselves, 
exerts a potent influence over our views in respect to the 
nature and requirements of religion. We cannot help 
knowing, it is very true, that our conduct, in many in- 

37 



310 SERMON XIX. 

stances, has been different from what it ought to have 
been. But we conceive, that it is possible for us to 
balance our good qualities against our bad, in such a 
manner as to find acceptance in the presence of a Deity 
whose predominant attribute we believe to be mercy. We 
are sensible of our habitual tendency to wander from the 
path of rectitude. But we have an implicit confidence 
in our powers of self-government, and entertain no 
doubt, that we shall be able to resist temptation, and pre- 
serve our integrity unimpaired. — These are our natural 
sentiments ; and they are sentiments which the word of 
God expressly and positively condemns — sentiments 
which it is the primary business of religion to eradicate 
from the mind of man. Hence it is, that we find humility 
— a virtue unknown to other codes of ethics — represented, 
in the New Testament, as the first and noblest trait of the 
Christian character. Hence it is, that Solomon in the 
text before us, pronounces the individual who trusts in his 
own heart, afoot. 

We have said, that all men are more or less dis- 
posed to trust in their own hearts. Christianity boasts 
of no "faultless monsters." They over whom the 
gospel has acquired the highest ascendency, have still 
their imperfections. They perceive, and bitterly lament, 
that the feeling of self-dependence retains, in some de- 
gree, its hold in their souls. Our passage is, therefore, 
one from which even the best of Christians may extract 
appropriate and salutary instruction. But it is not our 
present object thus to apply the text. We would rather 
contemplate it in reference to the case of those, who, 
though in courtesy we may call them Christians, are 
strangers to the spirit of vital Christianity. 

Now, there are two senses in which such men trust 
in their own hearts. They do this retrospectively and 



SERMON XIX. 311 

prospectively — that is, they rely upon themselves for the 
expiation of past, and the prevention of future mis- 
conduct. We shall proceed to offer a few remarks on 
each of these particulars. 

The doctrine which admits the reality and the efficacy 
of human merit in the matter of salvation, is so glaringly 
absurd, that it needs only to be enunciated in plain and 
direct terms, to be at once rejected by every one whose 
moral and religious perceptions have not been clouded by 
the inveterate prejudices of education. And yet some of 
the very persons who would discard this doctrine with 
feelings bordering on contempt, entertain opinions in res- 
pect to the moral characterand performances of man, which, 
if pursued to their legitimate consequences, would be seen 
to be little less preposterous. There are those who can- 
not help thinking, in spite of what they read in the Bible 
on the subject, that when they have made a vigor- 
ous effort of self-denial, or when they have done an act 
of more than ordinary beneficence, they have really de- 
served a share of the divine approbation. And if they 
are too modest to say this of themselves, they are less 
backward in affirming it with regard to others. Take up 
an article of biography from the pen of one of our classical 
writers. How common is it to find the author admitting, 
that the person whose life he relates, was by no means 
free from faults, but zealously contending, that these 
were more than expiated by his good qualities, and par- 
ticularly by his sufferings, if he happened to be unfortu- 
nate. Open a newspaper, and read the inflated account 
of an execution. You are told, that the unhappy victim 
displayed the firmnest fortitude and courage — for every 
felon, it would seem, becomes a hero when he reaches 
the gallows — and at such an hour atoned for his crime by 
submitting to a fate which it was not in his power to avert. 



312 SERMON XIX. 

Indeed, if an opinion were to be formed from the elabor- 
ate and high-coloured detail of these melancholy transac- 
tions, which the editors of newspapers are expected to 
furnish, we should almost be tempted to conclude, that 
there is no surer and easier method of getting to heaven, 
than by the commission of a capital offence. — We would 
not now be understood as intimating, that all who adopt 
the kind of phraseology which we have mentioned, really 
believe in the possibility of expiating sin, by deeds of 
virtue, exercises of benevolence, or the most intense and 
protracted sufferings of body or of mind. But the pre- 
valence of such phraseology shows sufficiently, that the 
general views of men in relation to this matter, are not in 
strict accordance with evangelical truth. — We may add, 
that our most popular writers, moral and sentimental — espe- 
cially our elegant essayists — commonly speak of the hap- 
piness of the future state, as if it were to be the pure 
reward of human merit. It has been justly said, that 
" this, so far as any allusions are made to the subject, is 
the prevailing opinion through the school of polite litera- 
ture." 

Brethren, it is important for us to guard you against 
any degree of error in respect to the point now under con- 
sideration. If there be one truth on which peculiar 
stress is laid in the sacred Scriptures, and particularly in 
the New Testament, it is this. Recollect those awful 
words of revelation : " Cursed is he that trusteth in man, 
and maketh flesh his arm." Behold, too, the estimate of 
human merit formed by Him who came into the world to 
expiate human guilt. Says our Lord to his disciples : 
« When ye shall have done all those things which are 
commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants ; we 
have done that which was our duty to do." Here, then 
is the fundamental principle of Christianity — the article 



SERMON XIX. 313 

by which true religion must stand or fall. And might 
we not ask, to what purpose did the Son of God divest 
himself of his essential glories, and leave the bosom of 
his Father, for a life of humiliation, a pilgrimage of sor- 
row, and a death of torture on earth, if it had been pos- 
sible for man to be saved on the ground of his own merits? 
The very fact, that divine wisdom and goodness have 
devised for our fallen race, so complicated and expensive 
an apparatus of salvation, may be considered as a con- 
clusive argument in behalf of the truth asserted in our 
text. Yes, it must have been because we have no sub- 
stantial ground of confidence in our own hearts — because 
we are, under all circumstances, unprofitable servants — 
because when we have done the utmost that we can pos- 
sibly effect, we have established no valid claim to the 
favour or the compassion of our Creator — it was on this 
very account that God deemed it necessary to provide for 
us that Saviour, the image of himself, and the brightness 
of his own glory, whom the gospel reveals. 

But here the question may arise, Do not the sacred 
Scriptures sometimes represent the future felicity of the 
redeemed, as a reward conferred upon them by their Fa- 
ther in heaven, for the zeal and diligence which they have 
displayed in his service ? We answer in the affirmative. 
Thus the Saviour, on a certain occasion, addressed his 
disciples in these terms: "Verily I say unto you, there 
is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or 
wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who 
shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and 
in the world to come, life everlasting." And in the 
striking account given by our Lord of the solemnities of 
the final judgment, we observe, that the acceptance of 
those on the right hand of the Son of man, is predicated 
on the fact, that they had fed the hungry, furnished drink 



314 SERMON XIX. 

to the thirsty, entertained the stranger, clothed the naked, 
visited the sick, and interested themselves in the pri- 
soner's behalf. But these and similar passages only re- 
late to the inseparable connexion which, according to the 
plan of the gospel, subsists between the present character 
and the ulterior destiny of man. "Without holiness no 
man shall see the Lord." But as God himself provides 
the means by which this holiness is to be attained — as he 
imparts both the inclination and the ability to perform 
virtuous, and pious, and benevolent deeds — the blessings 
thus procured cannot be said to be merited, in the proper 
sense of that word. We accordingly find, that these 
blessings are described in the New Testament, as the 
reward, not of debt, but of grace. 

Beware, then, candidates for the favour of Heaven — 
beware of trusting in your own hearts. When you ap- 
proach the throne of divine Justice, let the righteousness 
of Christ be your only plea. Cast it not from you, dear 
hearers; it is your life, your all! Cling to it as that 
which alone can expiate your offences, and procure for 
you a sentence of acquittal at the bar of your God. Build 
your immortal hopes entirely on this righteousness, and 
then you need not fear the retributions of eternity — then 
you may present yourselves before the tribunal of Je- 
hovah, with the humble, yet confident language — "Lord, 
we have done nothing to deserve thy complacent regards 
— the review of our earthly career affords only matter for 
humiliation and regret ; we dare not trust to the very best 
deed that we have ever performed : thy justice would 
doom us to misery, and we cannot expect that the general 
benevolence of thy nature will interpose for our rescue. 
We look to the merits of thy Son for security. We ask 
that his blood may be applied to the effacing of our trans- 
gressions from the volume of thy remembrance. Father 



SERMON XIX. 3 £5 

of mercies! take us into thy favour — admit us to thy 
kingdom — assign to us a place, even though it be the 
lowest, among the unfallen angels and redeemed spirits 
that circle thy throne rejoicing. Give us a crown of glory 
and a palm of victory, that we may lay them at the feet 
of Him who died for us and rose again." 

Again, men are disposed to trust in their own hearts, 
not only for acceptance in the sight of God, so far as 
their past conduct is concerned, but also for the ability to 
spend their future career in what they conceive to be a 
right and proper manner. They deem themselves com- 
petent to restrain the impulse of passion, to resist the 
force of temptation, and to perform at pleasure the most 
arduous duties of virtue. They fearlessly undertake the 
task of self-government, fully persuaded that they are 
above the control of circumstances, which have blasted 
the moral dignity, and destroyed the happiness of in- 
ferior individuals. They admit that it is extremely diffi- 
cult to withstand the many allurements from rectitude 
with which every walk of life abounds — they observe all 
around them the bleaching bones of others, whose ruin 
was occasioned by a similar confidence in their own 
strength — the personal trial of past conflicts, and dan- 
gers, and defeats, admonishes them that they are not in- 
vincible. Still they determine to venture on the experi- 
ment. They cannot think so meanly of the understanding 
which God has given them, as to imagine that they are 
incapable of refraining from vices, which they know must 
inevitably lead to consequences the most ignominious and 
disastrous. They believe, that a moderate degree of in- 
dulgence in pleasure is perfectly allowable, and even 
agreeable to a benevolent Deity. Beyond the limits of 
moderation they have resolved not to advance a single 
step. Nor have they the least doubt of their ability to 



316 SERMON XIX. 

say, and with effect, to the most swelling and impetuous 
tide of passion, " Thus far shalt thou go, and no farther." 
But the self-confidence of which we speak is folly. It 
is preposterous for any man to rest his hopes of future 
rectitude on the strength of his own resolutions — to ima- 
gine that his inherent firmness of mind affords a sufficient 
guarantee for the preservation of his integrity. The indi- 
vidual who thus acts, is entirely ignorant of the human 
heart. Experience abundantly evinces the mutability of 
all its views and all its purposes. How often have we 
seen the youth who entered upon life with the brightest 
prospects and the fairest promise — his parents' idol, and 
his friends' delight — disappointing all the fond hopes 
which he had raised, and taking his degraded place 
among those, of whom the least that we can say, is, that 
it had been well for themselves, and all related to them, 
by whatever ties, if their cradle had never been rocked — 
if they had not been born ! Yes, the lapse of a few years 
produces many a sad revolution in the moral feelings and 
character of men, transforming the honest dealer into a 
dexterous knave ; the temperate youth into an abandoned 
drunkard; the dutiful son into a rebellious profligate; 
the tender husband and affectionate father, into a domestic 
tyrant. These are every-day occurrences, and they surely 
prove, that no one, whose sole confidence is in himself, is 
entitled to affirm that he will be, at any coming period, 
the same being as to rectitude of principle and purity of 
conduct, that he is at present. — " Where is the world 
into which I was born ?" exclaimed one in surveying the 
ravages which death had made in the circle of his early 
acquaintance. And similar language may well be adopted 
by him who reflects on the changes which time has 
wrought in the moral sentiments and condition of numbers 
within the sphere of his observation. — Verily, " he that 
trusteth in his own heart is a fool." 



SERMON XIX. 



an 



To illustrate the interesting view which we are now 
taking of this text, we may be allowed to borrow an in- 
stance, much to the point, from one of the ancient philoso- 
phers. Epictetus relates, that he was once waited upon 
by a certain person who had just returned from banish- 
ment, and who, in the course of conversation, expressed 
the deepest regret for the imprudent part which he 
had previously acted, and declared, that it was his settled 
determination to shun, in future, the dangerous paths of 
ambition, and devote the residue of his days to literary 
and religious pursuits. The shrewd stoic did not doubt 
his visitant's sincerity. But he was too well acquainted 
with the human heart to give much heed to his profes- 
sions, or to hope much from his resolutions. And, in- 
deed, the mistaken man was soon himself undeceived. 
For before he left the house of Epictetus, a letter arrived 
from Caesar inviting him to court, and opening to his view 
prospects, which, notwithstanding the language he had 
just held, he had not the ability, nor, in fact, the desire 
to decline. Ambition, ere long, acquired as strong a sway 
in his soul as it possessed prior to his exile. 

Our next example shall be drawn from the sacred 
Scriptures. Benhaded, the Syrian monarch who flourish- 
ed in the days of Elisha, was, on a certain occasion, 
afflicted with some dangerous disease. Hearing that that 
prophet had arrived at Damascus, he despatched his chief 
general, Hazael, to consult him respecting the issue of his 
illness. In the course of the conversation which took 
place between the officer of Benhadad and the man of God, 
the latter suddenly burst into tears. Hazael, surprized 
at an occurrence so unaccountable, at once inquired, what 
the prophet's grief could mean. To the question, " Why 
weepeth my lord?" Elisha replied, that he foresaw an 
assemblage of th« most horrible calamities which his 

38 



318 SERMON XIX. 

visitant would be the instrument of inflicting upon " the 
children of Israel." Hazael indignantly exclaimed, 
"But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this 
great thing !" Elisha briefly answered, " The Lord hath 
shown me, that thou shalt be king over Syria." And 
what was the sequel ? Hazael returned home, and on 
the very morning after his return, murdered Benhadad, 
and usurped the throne of Syria. One crime prepared 
the way for another, until, in a short period, he perpe- 
trated, without compunction, all the enormities which 
Elisha had predicted. — How forcibly does this instance 
confirm the doctrine of our text. Hazael, at the time of 
his interview with Elisha, entertained too good an opinion 
of himself, to deem it possible that his hands should ever 
be stained with the crimes, of which the prophet foresaw, 
that he would be guilty. We are not to do him the 
wrong of supposing, that when he exclaimed, "What, is 
thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing I" 
he played the hypocrite. Far from it. He spoke the 
language of ingenuousness. He was then sincerely and 
firmly persuaded, that he could not become so corrupt 
— so lost to every virtuous principle — so dead to every 
benevolent feeling — as to commit the outrages which 
Elisha anticipated. But the event showed the folly of his 
self-confidence. 

Does any one say, that the case of Hazael is such as 
seldom occurs ? We answer, that they who think so, 
are mistaken. In fact, this portion of sacred history 
only exhibits in strong and glowing relief, what is con- 
stantly transpiring among men. Take any individual dis- 
tinguished for his crimes, and interrogate him respecting 
the events of his life— You will discover, if he tells you 
the truth, that there was a period when not even the 
prophetic intimation of one risen from the dead could 



SERMON XIX. 319 

feave convinced him, that he should ever become what he 
now is. The felon on the gallows can testify how little 
he once expected to die an ignominious death. The con- 
firmed drunkard can look back to a time when he was 
what the world calls a temperate man — a time when he 
had so high an opinion of his own native energy — so 
much confidence in the stability of his own resolutions — 
that he would have deeply resented the insinuation, that 
it was even possible for Mm to be tempted to the slightest 
degree of excess. 

And here we cannot refrain from adding one or two 
incidental remarks suggested by this last example. There 
are no facts in the moral history of man, which more clearly 
and impressively illustrate the truth of our text, than those 
connected with the rise and progress of intemperate habits. 
We behold thousands and thousands of our fellow beings 
the abject slaves of a vice, which all abominate, and which 
every one, at the commencement of his career, determines 
to avoid. Where is the individual who entered upon life 
with the intention to become a drunkard ? Such an one 
is no where to be found. The most abandoned victim of 
intemperance in the vilest tavern of your city, once en- 
tertained the hope, that he should live and die a sober 
man. He confidently believed, that he should be able to 
resist temptations, by which he had seen so many others 
overcome. Indeed, he would have recoiled with horror 
from the idea, that he should ever destroy his character 
and his health, his fortune and his family, his body and 
his soul, by yielding to habits of inebriation. But lie "trust- 
ed in his own heart," and was, therefore, "a fool." He 
indulged the vain hope, that he could gratify his thirst for 
ardent spirits, without being induced to use them to excess. 
Not that we would deny, that some men have realized a 
hope of this kind. We admit that there have been those 



320 



SRftMON XIX. 



who persisted to the close of life, in maintaining what 
might be called a medium between temperate and intem- 
perate habits. But we are sure, that for one who has 
succeeded in the experiment, thousands and tens of thou- 
sands have failed. And we, moreover, affirm, that every 
person, no matter what may be his strength of mind, who 
accustoms himself to approach the limitaries of temperance, 
is always in danger of overstepping his prescribed bounds. 
Indeed, a close observer of human nature — we mean Dr. 
Dwight — has said, " The man who drinks spirits regu- 
larly, ought to consider himself as having already entered 
the path of habitual intoxication." If any one should 
tell us, that this language is far too strong, we have a 
brief answer at hand. The remark, if erroneous, is at 
least an error on the safer side. In entire abstinence 
from ardent spirits there is security ; in any thing short of 
this there is peril. 

To the youth in our audience, we would particularly 
utter, on this occasion, an admonitory voice. We would 
earnestly and affectionately caution you, dear hearers, 
againt trusting in your own hearts, when inclination, or 
the solicitations of your companions, would tempt you to 
lay your hand on the intoxicating glass. Have a care, 
O young man, how you confide in the strength of your 
own resolutions, as a bulwark against the encroachments 
of intemperate habits. Avoid, as you would a nest of 
rattlesnakes, every haunt of debauchery. When the lovers 
of drink invite you to join them, let your determined lan- 
guage be, " O my soul, come not thou into their secret; 
unto their assembly mine honour, be not thou united !" 

But intemperance is by no means the only evil habit, 
the abandonment of which is as difficult, as its continuance 
is fatal to all the high interests of man. We might easily 
adduce many other instances in illustration of the general 



SERMON XIX. 321 

truth for which we contend, that the individual who trusts 
in his own heart, for the ability to tread the steep and 
lofty paths of virtue, undertakes a foolish experiment. 
Time, however, will not permit us to multiply examples. 
We rest the proof of our position on the inveterate pro- 
gressiveuess of habit — a fact familiar to every one who 
has the least knowledge of human nature. Moralists in 
all ages have admitted and deplored it. Indeed, they 
have frequently expressed themselves on this subject, in 
language scarcely less strong and emphatic than that of 
the prophet, who says, " Can the Ethiopian change his 
skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, 
that are accustomed to do evil." 

With one or two general reflections we shall now close 
our discourse. 

It was intimated, at an early period of our remarks, that 
the text is a passage of Scripture, from which Christians 
themselves may extract useful instruction. To you, then, 
brethren, we would first say a word. Our subject is calcu- 
lated to make you humble. Indeed, of what can you be 
proud? Of your riches? Of your intellectual attainments, or 
personal endowments? Of your moral excellences? Of your 
pious performances? — Why, you owe them all to Jehovah ; 
and you have abundant reason to be ashamed and morti- 
fied that you have felt so little gratitude to him for these 
various indications of his benignity. Beware, too, of 
trusting in your own hearts, for they are " deceitful above 
all things, and desperately wicked." True, they have 
been sanctified to a certain extent by the Spirit of God. 
But they retain a measure of imperfection, so that when 
you w r ould do good, evil is present with you. It becomes 
you, therefore, to be constantly on your guard. When 
you recollect that even a David and a Peter were taught 
by bitter experience, the folly of self-confidence, you must 



322 SERMON XIX. 

admit that it is the part of wisdom to act under a deep 
and an abiding sense of your own weakness. Live in 
habitual dependence on the grace of Grod. He has pro- 
mised that that grace shall be sufficient for you. It flows 
from the fountain of his own fulness, and is inexhaustible. 
"When I am weak (says Paul) then am I strong." 
This language may sound paradoxical ; but it breathes 
the essential spirit of practical Christianity. The indi- 
vidual who feels most truly the force of his Redeemer's 
saying, " Without me ye can do nothing," has the best 
right to exclaim with the apostle whose words we have 
just quoted, "I can do all things through Christ who 
strengtheneth me." 

To those who are just beginning to feel a personal in- 
terest in religion, (if there be such in this assembly,) we 
would say, a conviction of your own inability to merit the 
divine favour, is the first step in the path to heaven. So 
long as you are destitute of this conviction, your hopes of 
acceptance with God are utterly fallacious. Renounce, 
we entreat you, every thought that you can be saved 
through works of righteousness performed by yourselves. 
Go, penitent sinner, to the cross of Christ, and learn to 
plead his merits alone as a ground of salvation. O! then 
shalt thou hear from the lips of divine Mercy, those cheer-, 
ing words, " Thy sins are forgiven thee." 

To those who are still indifferent and callous in re- 
spect to the concerns of religion, (and it were an excess 
of charity to doubt that there are such in this assembly,) 
we would say, — Your condition, dear hearers, is truly a 
lamentable — an awful one. You trust in your own hearts 
to do for you, what they are entirely insufficient to per- 
form. We " speak the words of truth and soberness," 
when we tell you that you are the victims of a delusion 
which has proved the ruin of many a soul now in hell, 



SERMON XIX. 323 

and which, if not speedily abandoned, will accomplish 
your destruction also. Believe us, if you are saved at 
all, it must be through the merits of the Son of God. In 
him is your only hope. Go to the bar of your Maker, 
and solicit acceptance on the ground of your own deserts. 
Ah ! he will take you at your word. Yes, self-righteous 
man, you shall be weighed in the balances of heaven, 
and found wanting. The language of Jehovah to the 
waiting executioners of his justice, will be, "Cast ye the 
unprofitable servant into outer darkness, where is weep- 
ing and gnashing of teeth." 

Finally, to all in this assembly — Christians, serious 
inquirers, impenitent sinners, old and young — we would 
say, — Trust not in your own hearts. To do so, is folly 
in the extreme. "Let him that thiuketh he standeth, 
take heed lest he fall.... Let not him that girdeth on his 
harness, boast himself as he that putteth it off." 



SERMON XX. 

GENESIS XVIII. 25. 

" That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the 
wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from 
thee: shall not the Judge of all the earth do right ?" 

Thus it was that Abraham interceded with Jehovah 
in behalf of Sodom. The divine intention to visit with a 
fearful overthrow, the degenerate inhabitants of that city, 
had just been communicated to him. He was anxious to 
avert, if possible, the impending calamity, and, therefore, 
ventured to converse with God on the subject. He was 
aware, that nothing could be said in extenuation of the 
guilt of the Sodomites. Their depravity was so extreme 
— their desert of some signal chastisement so glaring — 
that not a word could properly be uttered to screen them 
from the wrath of heaven. But the benevolent patriarch 
indulged the hope, that there might be a few pious per- 
sons remaining even amid the awful wickedness of Sodom, 
and it occurred to him, that possibly the place might be 
spared on their account. This was the only plea which 
the circumstances of the case seemed to permit him to 
urge. He accordingly drew near to his Maker, and thus 
commenced his address : " Wilt thou also destroy the 
righteous with the wicked ? Peradventure there be fifty 
righteous within the city : wilt thou also destroy and not 
spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein ? 
That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the 
righteous with the wicked ; and that the righteous should 



SERMON xx. 325 

be as the wicked, that be far from thee: shall not the Judge 
of all the earth do right ?" 

This text is one among innumerable passages of Scrip- 
ture, which represent the Deity as a being of the highest 
and most inflexible justice. He is not only the Creator 
and Preserver, but also the Governor of the universe. He 
reigns over his creatures, as their rightful Sovereign. To 
him they are accountable for all their conduct. His do- 
minion, however, is not a mere arbitrary supremacy found- 
ed on infinite might. There are certain definite and 
immutable principles, originating in the eternal rectitude 
of his own nature, by which his government is adminis- 
tered. In pursuance of these principles, which he can no 
more abandon than he can cease to exist, he always deals 
with voluntary agents according to their moral deserts. 
It is impossible for him to treat the good and the bad — 
those who obey, and those who disobey his laws — in 
precisely the same manner. Of this truth Abraham, even 
at an early age, when the lights of reason and revelation 
were both comparatively dim, was fully convinced. He 
assumed it as a point that could not be denied, or doubted; 
and it formed the basis of his intercession in behalf of 
Sodom. He was sure, that it would be far from God to 
destroy the righteous with the wicked — to involve op- 
posite characters in indiscriminate destruction. Such a 
procedure he scrupled not to intimate, would be unjust on 
the part of his Maker. Thus he emphatically asked, 
" Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" 

It is certain, then, that in the universe of God, a due 
distinction will, in every instance, be ultimately made 
between the virtuous and the vicious. We say ultimately, 
because there can be no doubt, that, in the present world, 
such a distinction does not uniformly obtain. Here men 
are not dealt with exactly according to their merits. The 

39 



326 SERMON XX. 

sun rises to enlighten and bless the evil and the good. 
Rain descends on the just and on the unjust. The wick- 
ed sometimes enjoy a large measure of temporal blessings, 
while the righteous are visited with every kind and degree 
of affliction. Nor could it be otherwise in a state of pro- 
bation, where voluntary agents, instead of being rewarded 
and punished in strict accordance with the demands of 
justice, are to be tried and prepared for their ulterior des- 
tination. The period is coming, when all these inequali- 
ties will be rectified — when every cloud that now seems to 
hang over the moral government of Deity will disappear 
- — when his character as the Judge of all the earth will 
shine forth with unsullied lustre— when he will weigh, in 
even scales, the deserts of all intelligent beings, and de- 
termine their fate for eternity on such principles, as shall 
constrain the whole universe to acknowledge and feel the 
equity of his decisions. 

The general doctrine inculcated in the text before us, 
is capable of many applications. The justice of God is 
a fruitful theme, from which a variety of important con- 
clusions may be drawn. We propose, on the present 
occasion, to consider it in reference to a question, which, 
though not very often discussed in the pulpit, or even in 
books, is frequently a topic of conversation, and occasion- 
ally occupies the thoughts, and awakens the speculations, 
of every serious mind. We allude to the future destiny 
of those who die in infancy. It is a matter of equal sur- 
prise and regret, that a subject of so much interest should 
be so rarely adverted to by those who speak and write on 
the prospects of man as a religious being. To tell us, 
that the Scriptures reveal little or nothing in relation to 
this point, is not a sufficient apology for the silence main- 
tained by preachers and writers, since other topics — such, 
for example, as the title of children to baptism — respect- 



SERMON xx. 327 

ing which the disclosures of Revelation are scarcely 
more explicit, have employed many an eloquent tongue, 
and many a prolific pen. Our theological libraries 
exhibit no deficiency of erudite and elaborate works on 
the comparatively unimportant point, whether infants may 
be baptized, while we may minutely examine the contents 
of whole shelves of volumes, without finding a page, or 
even a sentence, that has a bearing on the question, 
whether the large number of human beings, whom death 
removes from our earth before they are capable of moral 
error, shall be saved or lost. 

This silence of so many of our most approved religious 
writers and speakers, in reference to the future destiny of 
infants, has led to a result deeply to be deplored. A 
very general impression has gone abroad, that theologians 
of our own denomination in particular, imagine, that some 
who die in infancy are lost. The preacher to whom you 
are listening, has been asked, with much gravity and con- 
cern, whether all Presbyterian ministers really held the 
opinion, that "there are children in hell not a span long," 
as it is commonly expressed. Indeed, an elaborate at- 
tempt has recently been made by the Unitarians of New- 
England, in one of their leading periodical works, to 
show, that the damnation of infants is not only an infer- 
ential point necessarily flowing from Calvinism, but an 
article of belief actually adopted, and explicitly avowed, 
by some of the most eminent Calvinistic divines. Under 
these circumstances it becomes, in our apprehension, the 
solemn duty of every minister in the Presbyterian church, 
publicly to declare, on all suitable occasions, what are his 
views in relation to this subject. By thus acting he will quiet 
the minds of many in his own church, at the same time 
that he contributes to wrest from the hands of others, 
a weapon which they have successfully wielded to the 



328 



SERMON XX. 



detriment of the entire denomination of which he is a 
member. 

Before we advance further, it is but fair to state, that 
very few, if any, Calvanistic divines have avowed a belief 
in the damnation of infants. The contrary impression, 
however generally it may prevail, and however it may 
have been encouraged by the erroneous representations of 
those who ought to know better, does not accord with the 
truth. The utmost that can be correctly affirmed, is that 
some Calvinistic divines have expressed themselves 
doubtfully on this subject. They have taken the ground, 
that, as the Scriptures are silent in relation to the future 
fate of infants, the readers of the Scriptures ought to con- 
sider the point as among those secret things which belong 
to the Lord our God, and with which, therefore, it is im- 
pertinent for human curiosity to intermeddle. On the 
other hand, there are some Calvinistic divines who have 
avowed, in terms the most explicit and unqualified, their 
clear and settled persuasion, that all who die in infancy 
shall be saved. For example, Toplady, than whom a 
fiercer and more thorough-going Calvinist never stepped 
on the arena of polemics, gives it as his unhesitating con- 
viction, that " the souls of all departed infants are with 
God in glory; that in the decree of predestination to life, 
God hath included all whom he intended to take away in 
infancy; and that the decree of reprobation hath nothing 
to do with them." Let us next hear John Newton. In 
a letter of condolence to a friend on the loss of a child, he 
says, " I cannot be sorry for the death of infants. How 
many storms do they escape! Nor can I doubt in my 
private judgment, that they are included in the election of 
grace. Perhaps those who die in infancy, are the exceed- 
ing great multitude of all people, nations aud languages, 
mentioned Revelation vii. 3. in distinction from the visible 



SERMON XX. 329 

body of professing believers, who were marked in their 
foreheads, and openly known to be the Lord's." The 
same author in another place, thus writes: "Children 
who die in their infancy, have not yet done any thing in 
the body, either good or bad. It is true, they are by 
nature evil, and must, if saved, be the subjects of a super- 
natural change. And though we cannot conceive how 
this change is to be wrought, yet I suppose few are so rash 
as to imagine it impossible that any infants can be saved. 
The same power that produces this change in some, can 
produce it in all ; and, therefore, I am willing to believe, 
till the Scripture forbids me, that infants of all nations 
and kindreds, without exception, who die before they are 
capable of sinning after the similitude of Adam's transgres- 
soin, who have done nothing in the body of which they can 
give an account, are included in the election of grace. 
They are born for a better world than this ; they just en- 
ter this state of tribulation ; they quickly pass through it; 
their robes are washed in the blood of the Lamb, and 
they are admitted for his sake before the throne." More 
passages of a similar purport might be quoted from other 
Calvinistic writers. But we shall merely add the opinion 
of Dr. Scott. In commenting on that saying of our divine 
Lord, "Suffer little children, and forbid them not to come 
unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven," he re- 
marks, that the passage may be understood as intimating, 
that the " kingdom of heavenly glory is greatly constituted 
of such as die in their infancy." He further says, " In- 
fants are as capable of regeneration as grown persons; 
and there is ground to conclude, that all those who have 
not lived to commit actual transgressions, though they 
share in the effects of the first Adam's offence, will also 
share in the blessings of the second Adam's gracious 
covenant; without their personal faith and obedience, 



330 SERMON XX. 

but not without the regenerating influence of the Spirit of 
Christ." These extracts will serve to show that there 
have been Calvinistic authors of the highest repute, who 
entertained no doubts whatever respecting the future con- 
dition of dying infants. And yet it has been solemnly 
affirmed,* that the doctrine which asserts the damnation 
of at least some such infants, is an essential feature of 
Calvinism, and would now be insisted on by all real and 
consistent Calvinistic ministers, if they thought that their 
people would bear it. After the quotations which have 
been adduced from writers like Toplady, and Newton, 
and Scott, we are surely entitled to say, that the affirma- 
tion is at variance with the fact. 

In discussing the question of the future fate of dying 
infants, we shall assume, as a position not to be contro- 
verted, that they shall be either all saved, or all lost. We 
are wholly unable to conceive, on what ground any dis- 
tinction can be made among them. They enter eternity 
with a moral character precisely alike, and consequently 
they must stand on the same footing at the bar of their 
Maker. To confer happiness on some, and doom others 
to misery, were a procedure entirely inadmissible in the 
righteous government of God. It will not do to say, that 
Jehovah is a sovereign who doeth according to his plea- 
sure in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants 
of the earth, and that he can dispose of his creatures just 
as the potter works with his clay, making some vessels 
to honour, and others to dishonour. We are by no means 
inclined to call in question the sovereignty of the Most 
High. Far — very far — be it from us to deny to Him the 
prerogative of doing what he will with his own. But at 
the same time, we have the most implicit confidence in the 

* In the Christian Examiner. 



SERMON XX. 331 

essential rectitude and benignity of the divine nature. We 
believe that God, however absolute as a sovereign, is still 
just, and holy, and good, insomuch that lie pays the strict- 
est regard to the rights, and consults for the truest inter- 
ests of every being under his control. The supposition 
that some who die in infancy may be saved on account of 
their parents' faith, or their parents' good qualities, is not 
to be harboured for a moment. In short, it appears to us, 
that there is no denying our position, that those who are 
removed from our earth before they are capable of moral 
action, must be all saved, or all lost. We shall now pre- 
sent a few considerations to show that they shall be all 
saved. 

And first, let us consult the testimony of the divine 
word. We admit that the Scriptures say nothing directly 
and positively in relation to this subject. There are, how- 
ever, some passages which may be thought to have an in- 
cidental bearing on the point. We shall briefly advert 
to them. We begin with the language of David *on" the 
death of the infant which heaven removed from him, as a 
punishment for the sin of which he was guilty in the case 
of Uriah and Bath-sheba. We are told that during the 
child's illness, he was perfectly disconsolate, lying all 
night on the earth, and refusing to receive any sustenance. 
But as soon as he learned the fact of its death, he arose, 
and having washed and anointed himself, changed his 
dress, and repaired to the house of the Lord for worship, 
and then entered his own dwelling and partook of the re- 
freshments that were set before him. His servants ex- 
pressed their surprise at this conduct. He replied, 
" While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept, for I 
said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, 
that the child may live ? But now he is dead, wherefore 
should I fast? can 1 bring him back again? I shall go 



332 SERMON XX. 

to him, but he shall not return to me." Now, we regard 
this as a somewhat remarkable passage. David, it will 
be observed, here speaks in a way which shows that he 
was free from any doubt concerning the happiness of his 
departed infant. "I shall go to him." This is very po- 
sitive language, and when we recollect that it was spoken 
in reference to a child that was the offspring of adultery, 
and was visited with sickness and death as a judgment 
for the father's iniquity, we may account it presumptive 
evidence in behalf of the truth for which we contend. We 
shall next quote from the prophecies of Jeremiah two 
passages on which, indeed, we confess that much stress 
cannot be laid, but which may yet deserve at least a mo- 
ment's notice. The prophet, in one place, represents Je- 
hovah as bringing this, among other charges, against the 
Jews, " Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls 
of the poor innocents ;" and in another place he describes 
God as holding this language : " Thus saith the Lord of 
Hosts, the God of Israel ; Behold, I will bring evil upon 
this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall 
tingle. Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged 
this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, 
whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the 
kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood 
of innocents." The only observation which we have to 
offer on these texts, is, that the application of the term 
innocents indiscriminately to children, is not very conso- 
nant with the idea that any departed infants shall be 
finally and eternally lost. Nor does this idea seem quite 
consistent with the scope and spirit of the following pas- 
sage at the close of the book of Jonah : " And should I 
not spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than 
six score thousand persons that cannot discern between 
their right hand and their left ?" There are other pas- 



sermon xx. 333 

sages of the Old Testament, in which much tender regard 
is expressed for little children. But we forbear to take 
up your time with the quotation of them. Let us now 
open the New Testament. We there meet with conduct 
and language on the part of our divine Lord himself, 
which, to say the least, are more favourable to the opinion 
that all who die in infancy shall be saved, than to the 
contrary supposition. We shall lay before you, without 
particular comment, the passages which we have in view. 
"At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, 
Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And 
Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the 
midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, except 
ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall 
not enter into the kingdom of heaven. And whoso 
shall receive one such little child in my name, receiveth 
me." In a subsequent verse of the chapter from which 
this extract is taken, the Saviour, pursuing the same strain 
of remark, says, " Take heed, that ye despise not one of 
these little ones ; for I say unto you, that in heaven their 
angels do always behold the face of my Father which is 
in heaven." Again, " And they brought young children 
to him, that he should touch them ; and his disciples re- 
buked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he 
was displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little chil- 
dren to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is 
the kingdom of (rod. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever 
shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he 
shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, 
put his hands upon them, and blessed them." The 
same incident which we have thus extracted from Mark, 
is likewise related by Matthew and Luke. 

The scriptural passages which we have now quoted, 
will suffice to show, that the testimony of the divine word, 

40 



g34 SERMON XX. 

so far as it can be brought to bear, with any thing like 
directness, on the point under consideration, is by no 
means unfavourable to the position which asserts the sal- 
vation of all departed infants. We have granted, that 
the Scriptures do not formally decide the question. But 
we must insist, that they warrant the confident belief that 
none who die in infancy shall be damned. They are ad- 
dressed to us as rational beings. They appeal to our rea- 
son, and we are required to exercise our reason in the full 
investigation of every thing that they teach, directly or in- 
directly. Now, we contend that they discover to us quite 
enough of the character of God, and of the principles on 
which his moral government is administered, to authorize 
the conclusion, that where no actual offence has been com- 
mitted, eternal punishment will not be inflicted. In fact, 
after what the Scriptures have so clearly and emphatically 
inculcated respecting the essential rectitude of the divine 
nature, we should deem it entirely unnecessary for them 
to announce, in so many words, that all who die in in- 
fancy shall be saved. And this, we conceive, is the pro- 
per mode of explaining and accounting for the silence of 
the inspired record on this point. 

Most of the writers who have contended for the salva- 
tion of all departed infants, have been disposed to rely, 
for the defence of their views, chiefly on the mercy of 
God.* But we are rather inclined to assume a different 
ground. We prefer resting our confident belief, in respect 
to this matter, on the justice of Jehovah. We reason, as 
Abraham does in our present text. We are persuaded 
that it will be far from God to slay the righteous with the 
wicked. We know that the Judge of all the earth must 
do right. These, brethren — these are the premises from 

• Jeremy Taylor, however, founds his argument relative to this subject, on 
the justice of God. 



sermon xx. 335 

which we infer that no moral agents, guiltless of actual 
transgression, shall be damned. And while we would 
not diminish the glory of the divine benevolence, we ven- 
ture to say, that, in all cases, it is wiser and safer to rely 
on the justice of Deity. We know not what obstacles the 
moral government of God may, in particular instances, in- 
terpose to the exercise of his mercy. But we may res f 
assured, that nothing can possibly occur to induce him t 
do what is unjust. When I stand at the bar of my Ma- 
ker as a sinner, I should tremble for my fate were I com- 
pelled to cast myself entirely on his benevolence and com- 
passion. May I then be enabled to plead his justice, 
satisfied, not, indeed, by any acts of my own, but by the 
obedience and sufferings of him who died that guilty men 
might live ! 

We go on to remark, as another argument for the 
truth which we are attempting to defend, that no object is 
to be attained, so far as we can see, in the government of 
God, by the perdition of infants. We can readily con- 
ceive, that the punishment of actual offenders may accom- 
plish a highly important end in the divine administration, 
by deterring other beings from transgression. But no ima- 
ginable good can result from inflicting misery on those 
who never sinned. Were the Supreme Ruler of the uni- 
verse to consign the innocent to final wretchedness, the 
only reason that we could conceive for such a procedure 
would be the malevolence of his nature. But the God of 
the Bible has no pleasure even in the death of the wicked. 
He punishes them for the general good of the universe. 

Besides, it deserves to be considered, whether it is not 
impossible, in the nature of things, for infants to endure 
what must constitute a primary part of the punishment in- 
flicted on the wicked in the future world. They are surely 
incapable of remorse. On their spirits the worm that never 



336 SERMON XX, 

dies cannot prey. They have done no evil with which 
to reproach themselves. To suppose that they should feel 
remorse on account of Adam's sin is preposterous. No 
man's conscience ever has upbraided him, or ever will 
upbraid him for any transgressions but his own. He can 
no more repent of what Adam did, than he can repent of 
what Nero or Caligula did. 

There is one objection to the salvation of infants, on 
which we ought, perhaps, to offer a single remark, before 
we close. The Scriptures, it is said, insist on faith as a 
condition of salvation. Now, as infants cannot believe, 
they cannot be saved. We answer, in one word, that 
God requires faith only of those who are capable of ex- 
ercising it. He never demands impossibilities. And 
more than this, the argument to which we allude, if it 
proves any thing, will prove that no infants whatever can 
be saved, since they are all equally incapable of faith. 
Indeed, the more we examine this subject, the stronger 
becomes our conviction as to the soundness of our funda- 
mental position, that infants must be either all saved or 
all lost. No medium between these extremes, is, in any 
respect tenable. We believe they will all be saved, and 
though not capable of exercising faith, their salvation will 
be ascribed to Him who loved them, and gave himself 
for them. 

The subject which we have thus hastily discussed is 
eminently consolatory to parents, or, at least, to pious pa- 
rents, whose lot it has been to be deprived of their infant 
offspring. There are, no doubt, such parents in the as- 
sembly which we this morning address. Brethren, we 
would have you to banish all sorrow from your bosoms, 
since we feel authorized to assure you, and on scriptural 
grounds, that your departed infants are far happier now 
than they would have been had Providence continued 



sermon xx. 337 

them with you. Yes, they are with God in glory, and 
you may confidently anticipate a joyful meeting with them 
on the day of your own entrance into heaven. Let it then 
be your endeavour meekly to submit to the will of the 
Most High, and diligently to prepare for that better and 
brighter world, where parent and child shall be united to 
part no more. 

Does any one here ask, why we have intimated a re- 
striction to pious parents, of the consolation flowing from 
our present subject ? We answer, because other parents, 
though they are warranted in the belief that their departed 
infants have gone to heaven, have no right to cherish the 
hope that they shall ever meet them there. Their own 
destination must be very different. This is, in truth, a 
solemn thought for impenitent fathers and impenitent mo- 
thers. Are there such in our audience to day ? Brethren, 
we beg you to consider how you will endure an eternal 
separation from your children. Believe us, such separa- 
tion is inevitable if you do not speedily repent of your 
sins, and become new beings. We exhort you, then, as 
you retain any affection for the infants whom you have 
lost on earth, and as you would delight to join them again 
in the realms of celestial purity and bliss — O! we exhort 
you, not to continue another hour in a state of impenitence. 
But there are those in our audience to day — impenitent 
sinners, we mean — who are not parents. And what salu- 
tary admonition, dear hearers, does this subject address 
to you? We shall tell you, in a single word. It suggests 
the solemn reflection, that it had been far better for you to 
be removed from earth before the setting of the first sun 
that dawned upon you, than to die in your present condi- 
tion. You, no doubt, rejoice that it was your good for- 
tune to escape the many perils of infancy, and if ever you 
have felt any thing like gratitude to God, the emotion has 



338 



SERMON XX. 



probably been excited by the contemplation of his good- 
ness in prolonging your existence. And yet we must as- 
sure you, that what you thus count a blessing, will prove 
a real curse should death overtake you ere you have se- 
cured an interest in Christ. We request you, then, to 
carry this solemn thought home with you. But what are 
we saying? Carry it home with you? No, let it have its 
due influence on the spot. O ! leave not the house of God 
this morning till you have resolved to repent and enter on 
a new course of life. Nothing can be gained by delay. 
The interests of eternity are at stake, and every moment, 
therefore, is of infinite importance to you. It is only by 
promptness and decision, that you can escape whatever 
misery is implied in — a worm that dieth not, and lire that 
is not quenched. 



SERMON XXI. 

JOB XIX. 25, 26. 

•' For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter 
day upon the earth. And though after my skin, worms destroy this body, 
yet in my flesh shall I see God." 

This passage has been strangely considered by some 
as destitute of any spiritual meaning. They suppose, 
that Job here simply expresses the confident hope that 
God would at last deliver him from the misery which had 
come upon him in the loss of property, of children, and 
of health ; that a calmer and happier period would arrive 
before the termination of his earthly career. But this 
exposition of the text may be shown not to be the true 
one, by a reference to the two verses immediately prece- 
ding. If the afflicted patriarch had been thinking merely 
of a temporal redemption, it is hardly to be presumed, 
that he would have prefaced the declaration of his cheer- 
ing views on this article with words so exceedingly solemn 
as the following : " O that my words were now written ! 
O that they were printed in a book! That they were en- 
graven with an iron pen and laid in the rock for ever!" 
Now, surely such language, to say the least, sounds very 
inappropriate, as an introduction to a profession of belief, 
on the part of an individual, that he should one day be 
as rich in flocks and herds as ever, that the sons and 
daughters whom Providence had taken from him should be 
replaced by others, and that the boils which covered his 



340 SERMON XXI. 

body should be cured. The whole passage is thus de- 
graded, and rendered unworthy of the context, and, in- 
deed, of the word of God. 

Brethren, let us follow the dictates of common sense — 
let us conform to the sure rule of scriptural analogy — 
and then we shall perceive, that the text now before us, 
is a most remarkabl expression of evangelical faith on the 
part of one who lived many centuries prior to the Chris- 
tian economy. We have here strong and strikiug evi- 
dence, that the religious views of devout men, under the 
old dispensation, were not so indistinct and imperfect as 
we are apt to imagine. In short, this passage confirms 
the remark of Paul, that " the gospel was preached to 
Abraham." 

Job here refers to a personage whom he styles Re- 
deemer. This, we all know, is one of the scriptural 
titles of the Son of God. And surely the appellation is 
a most appropriate and expressive one. It designates 
with peculiar clearness and force, his character and office 
as the Deliverer of mankind from sin and misery. You, 
Christian brethren, know its emphatic meaning. It 
teaches you, that you were subject to the penalty of a bro- 
ken law, and have been fully released — that you were un- 
der the dominant influence of unhallowed habits, and have 
been set at liberty — and all this through the kind and un- 
merited interposition of One mighty to save. It thus 
implies, that all the blessings which you enjoy, or hope 
for, are the purchase — the gratuitous result — of another's 
services. 

And hence Job, in this passage, is not content with 
speaking of a Redeemer in general terms. He also makes 
use of the language of appropriation. He represents this 
Redeemer as his. He calls him, my Redeemer. Now, 
we shall not deny, that there is a sense in which such 



SERMON XXI. 341 

phraseology as this may be adopted by every person who 
hears the gospel, which contains a free offer of the Lord 
Jesus Christ as a Saviour to the whole human family. 
But there is likewise another and more restricted sense, 
in which we may individually claim the Son of God as 
our Redeemer, when we venture to indulge the hope, that 
the benefits of his redemption have been actually conferred 
upon us. To advance a claim of this kind, is to presume 
that we have complied with the conditions on which these 
benefits are tendered to our acceptance — that we have be- 
come deeply penitent for our violations of the divine law 
— that we rely for pardon, and the favour of our Maker, 
solely on the merits of Christ — and that we are endea- 
vouring, with the aid of Heaven, to obey the gospel as a 
rule of moral and religious conduct. 

A question of the greatest practical importance might 
here present itself for consideration : Is it necessary for 
every one who has really obtained an interest in the 
highest blessings of Christianity, to be able to say, in 
language similar to that of Job, "The Redeemer is mine; 
I have a personal right to all the benefits which he has 
procured for our fallen world ?" To such a query as this, 
there are those who would unhesitatingly return an affir- 
mative reply. They assume the ground, that no person 
can be a true Christian, who is not aware of the fact. 
They conceive, that evangelical faith must always be ac- 
companied with a consciousness of its exercise, so that 
the latter is essential to the very nature of the former. 
They tell the sinner who wants to know how lie is to be 
saved, "You must believe, not only that Christ died for 
men in general, but that he died for you in particular." 
But we would take the liberty of asking, is not this to 
render the gate of heaven straiter, and the way to life nar- 
rower, than the Scriptures represent? Is it not to impose 

41 



342 SERMOtf XXL 

terms of salvation more rigid — more difficult to be complied 
with — than those which the Saviour himself has pre- 
scribed? What is the leading requisition of the New 
Testament? It is simply this: "Believe on the Lord 
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." In conformity 
with this requisition, we find, that the confession of him 
whom Philip the evangelist converted and baptized, ran 
in such terms as these: "I believe that Jesus Christ is 
the Son of God." This simple declaration was regarded 
as sufficient to entitle him to membership in the newly 
established church. 

It is not our present purpose to attempt a full investi- 
gation of the nature of evangelical faith. We are per- 
suaded, that metaphysical disquisitions on this subject 
are calculated to do but little good. There is nothing 
more erroneous than to imagine, that a man cannot exer- 
cise faith, unless he knows precisely what faith is. It 
might just as well be # affirmed, that an individual who is 
sick, cannot employ with efficacy and success a medicine, 
till he has subjected it to a chemical analysis, and ascer- 
tained the mode in which it operates upon the human 
system. We surely hazard nothing in saying, that Job, 
when he uttered the language of our text, was a stranger 
to the speculative questions, which, in modern times have 
been mooted relative to the essential attributes of faith. 
And so we doubt not, that there are numbers at the pre- 
seut day equally uninformed on this point, who have 
obeyed the calls of the gospel, and yielded to the Sa- 
viour the most implicit and cordial homage of their hearts. 
Yet we would not condemn sincere and judicious efforts 
to develope the nature of faith, any more than of the 
other duties enjoined, and doctrines revealed in the word 
of God. We only complain of that excessive speculation 
which is sometimes indulged on this subject; and we 



sermon xxr. 343 

particularly object, as we have already intimated, to the 
theory of those, who say, that a man must both believe, 
and know, that he does believe. We oppose this theory, 
because we look upon its practical tendency as bad. It 
rears a formidable obstacle to the progress of divine truth, 
for the simple reason before stated, that it adds to the re- 
quirements of Heaven. It demands faith, and something 
more. It is thus calculated to prevent the conversion of 
sinners, and to discourage and perplex humble Christians. 
The language of Job, in the text, has sometimes been 
adduced as an argument in support of the theory adverted 
to. But the argument is not a sound one. Let us admit 
for a moment, that Job here expresses the firmest per- 
suasion of his own personal interest in the Redeemer of 
whom he speaks. Will it follow, that a similar persua- 
sion must be felt by every other real believer? Is there 
no difference in the religious attainments of good men? 
Are not some represented in the New Testament as babes 
in Christ, while others are described as full grown men? 
But we take a different ground. We do not think it 
perfectly clear and absolutely certain, that Job, in this 
place, expresses a firm persuasion of his personal interest 
in the Redeemer. He may have been blessed with such 
assurance. We only say, that it is not, so far as we can 
see, asserted, though it may be implied in the language of 
our text. What are his words? Does he tell us, "I 
know that the Redeemer is mine — that he has actually 
redeemed me?" No, the phraseology which he employs 
is different. "I know," he exclaims, "that my Re- 
deemer liveth." Of what then is his knowledge pre- 
dicated? Of the fact, that the Redeemer was his? Not 
so. Only of the fact, that the Redeemer liveth. It is 
true, indeed, that he calls this Redeemer his. But it has 
been already remarked, that this is a mode of expression 



344 SERMON XXI. 

which may, without impropriety, be adopted by one who 
is not entirely sure, that the benefits of the redemption 
effected by the Son of God, have been really communi- 
cated to his soul. 

We would not, however, be understood as intimating 
in any thing that we have now said, that it is impossible 
to attain, in the present world, to a firm persuasion of our 
personal interest in the Great Redeemer. We believe 
most confidently, that such a persuasion may be attained. 
If it were not attainable, what propriety would there be 
in that injunction of Paul to Christians, " Examine your- 
selves whether ye be in the faith;" and then in lan- 
guage still stronger, "Prove your own selves: know ye 
not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, 
except ye be reprobates ?" Besides, there are instances 
in the sacred Scriptures, in which it is sufficiently 
manifest, that good men did enjoy a consolatory belief of 
their personal right to the highest blessings of religion. 
For example, what feeling short of this belief could have 
inspired the Psalmist to exclaim: "As for me, I shall 
behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied 
when I awake with thy likeness!" Let us next hear 
Paul : " I know in whom I have believed, and am per- 
suaded, that he is able to keep that which I have 
committed unto him against that day." Attend likewise 
to another remarkable passage from the pen of the same 
apostle : " 1 am now ready to be offered up, and the 
time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good 
fight; I have finished my course; I have kept the faith. 
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteous- 
ness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me 
at that day." 

We see, then, that it is not impossible for good men 
in the present state, to arrive at a comfortable knowledge 



sermon xxi. 345 

of the fact, that their sins have been blotted from the 
volume of the divine remembrance, and their names re- 
corded in the Lamb's book of life. Brethren, this knowledge 
is a privilege, to the possession of which it is your duty 
to aspire. Who would forego, through negligence and 
remissness in the work of self-examination, that sacred 
peace and joy which it is the means of imparting to the 
soul! O! well may the Christian earnestly strive to attain 
it ; and well may he exclaim with Dr. Watts, 

" When I can read my title clear 

To mansions in the skies, 
I'll bid farewell to every fear. 

And wipe my weeping eyes." 

" I know," says Job, " that my Redeemer liveth." 
This language has beeu considered by some, as fur- 
nishing a strong argument for the divinity of Christ. It 
certainly proves his pre-existence. It shows beyond 
doubt, that his being did not commence with his incar- 
nation, because he is here represented as alive many 
hundred years prior to that event. It thus coincides with 
what the Saviour himself on a certain occasion asserted, 
when he said to the Jews, "Before Abraham was, I am." 
Let us imagine, for a moment, that Job had been a Uni- 
tarian. How in that case would he have expressed him- 
self? He surely would not have said, "I know that my 
Redeemer liveth." His language would have been, 
" I know that my Redeemer shall live." But we have 
merely glanced at this point, without intending to dwell 
upon it. 

" I know," says Job, not only " that my Redeemer 
liveth," but also, " that he shall stand at the latter day 
upon the earth." This second clause of the text may be 
understood as referring to the incarnation of Christ. The 
phrase " latter day," and " latter days," is employed in 



346 SERMON XXI. 

the prophetical portions of the sacred volume, to express 
the time of the Messiah's advent. The language of Job 
thus interpreted, implies an implicit confidence in the ve- 
racity of Him who had promised, that the seed of the 
woman should bruise the serpent's head. It shows how 
firmly he was persuaded, that a Deliverer of our fallen 
race should, in the fulness of time, visit our earth — that 
although his coming might, for wise and benevolent pur- 
poses, be long delayed, nothing should ultimately prevent 
his appearance. And, brethren, with this persuasion all 
Job's hopes of pardon and future felicity were intimately 
and inseparably allied. 

Again, the phrase, latter day, may be understood as re- 
lating to that crisis in which the Redeemer shall appear 
on our earth, for the purpose of conducting the solemni- 
ties of the final judgment. If this interpretation of the 
text be admitted, we are here presented with decisive evi- 
dence that the idea of future retribution was familiar to 
Job. And, indeed, this idea enters so largely and deeply 
into the general notion and feeling of religion — it is so ir- 
resistibly forced upon the human mind, by the anticipations 
of conscience — that we cannot believe that there has ever 
been a period since the fall, in which reflecting men were 
wholly unaccustomed to look beyond the grave. Nor can 
we conceive of any theory more improbable aud prepos- 
terous than that of the distinguished English prelate, who 
has laboured to show that there is no allusion to the im- 
mortality of the soul in all the writings of Moses — that 
the Jewish legislator sought to enforce his institutions by 
no higher sanctions than temporal rewards and punish- 
ments. If we are asked, why it is, that the doctrine of 
the future being of man is not brought into view with 
more distinctness and emphasis in the Pentateuch, we 
think that we shall have little difficulty in giving a satis- 



sermon xxl 347 

factory reply. The truth is, that Moses wrote for the be- 
nefit of those who needed no additional illumination in 
respect to this doctrine. They were free from any doubts 
on the subject. They were already sufficiently informed 
and convinced. He, therefore, deemed it useless to go out 
of his way in order to enlarge concerning an article of 
faith universally admitted by his countrymen, and only 
remotely connected with the more immediate object of 
many of his institutions. He might have considered too, 
that this article was abundantly revealed in the book 
whence our text is taken — a book which must have been 
written before he entered upon his office as legislator, and 
which, it is natural to presume, was received by the Jews, 
on bis recommendation, as an inspired production. On 
this latter supposition — that it was Moses who recognized 
the divine origin of the book of Job, and delivered it to 
the descendants of Abraham for the directory of their faith 
and conduct — he became himself responsible for its con- 
tents, and reiterated every intimation of a future state 
which its pages exhibit. 

Let us now proceed to look at the concluding clause of 
our text : " And though after my skin worms destroy this 
body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." The original of 
this passage is involved in considerable obscurity, and 
accordingly various renderings have been proposed by 
critics. We think, however, that the common version is, 
on the whole, as intelligible aud probably as correct as 
any that we have examined. The last member of the 
sentence, " yet in my flesh shall I see God," might, in- 
deed, be varied in phraseology so as to read thus : Yet I 
shall see God in my flesh — that is, " 1 shall behold the 
Redeemer of whom I have just spoken, clothed in a na- 
ture like my own." We are informed by Dr. Scott, that 
this is precisely the reading adopted in the old English 
translation, which was in use before the present version. 



348 SERMON XXI. 

The language of Job in this passage has been regarded 
by the plurality of commentators, as a distinct reference 
to the resurrection of the human body. It would seem as 
if the venerable patriarch, from the fact that his Re- 
deemer should stand at the latter day upon the earth, 
drew the conclusion, that even after worms had consumed 
his body, he should again live in the flesh. We are thus 
reminded of that argument relative to this important sub- 
ject, which the apostle Paul has illustrated at so much 
length, and with such conclusive energy, in the fifteenth 
chapter of his first Epistle to the Corinthians — we mean 
the argument founded upon the return of Christ from the 
tomb. 

It is well known that the doctrine of the resurrection is 
a matter of pure revelation — one of those things which un- 
assisted human reason never could have discovered. The 
ancient philosophers who professed to consider the immor- 
tality of the soul as highly probable, entertained not the 
most distant thought, that the body after returning to its 
elementary particles in the grave, could be restored to be- 
ing; and when Christianity announced the certainty of 
such restoration, they put on the smile of derision, and 
were not slow in proclaiming their utter want of faith. 
The wise men of Athens, as soon as Paul ventured to 
mention the subject in their hearing, began to mock. 

But why, brethren, " should it be thought a thing in- 
credible, that Grod should raise the dead?" Is it more 
difficult, do you suppose, to re-unite after they have been 
separated, the component particles of the human body, 
than to combine those particles in the first instance, or 
than to produce them out of nothing? Does the mechani- 
cian find it harder to put together the works of a watch 
or clock, which had been taken apart, than to make a 
watch or clock ? But we need not attempt argument in 
relation to this point. God is omnipotent, and can, there- 



SERMON XXL 349 

fore, readily raise the body if he will. And that he will 
is abundantly manifest from the sacred Scriptures. The 
New Testament contains numerous passages in which 
this truth is plainly taught ; and the text now before us 
is an evidence that the Old Testament is not entirely silent 
on the subject. Indeed, it has been said by those who 
are most familiar with the word of God, that the future 
existence of the human soul is never asserted in its pages, 
except in connexion with the resurrection of the human 
body. This remark, so far as our own recollection serves, 
is a correct one, and merits a closer attention from the stu- 
dent of the Bible than it has yet received. 

And, brethren, how fraught with comfort is the doc- 
trine of the resurrection! O! how consolatory is the 
thought, that the grave into which these bodies of ours 
must ere long descend, has been consecrated by our Re- 
deemer ! We rejoice that he went down into its gloomy 
precincts, and returned as the first fruits of them that slept, 
thus affording the strongest ground of confidence to his 
followers, that the period is coming in which they too 
shall be the subjects of a signal and triumphant resusci- 
tation. Yes, it is animating to be assured, that the same 
omnific voice which spoke the universe into being, shall 
exert its energies in reviving the mouldered bodies of the 
deceased — that the trumpet shall sound, and the dead be 
raised — that this corruptible shall put on incorruption, 
and this mortal immortality, and that when this corruptible 
shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal immortal- 
ity, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, 
Death is swallowed up in victory ! 

Finally, we remark, that Job anticipated, as a great and 
glorious result of his resurrection, the opportunity of be- 
holding his Redeemer. " Yet," says he, " in my flesh 
shall I see God" — an idea on which he dwells in the 

42 



350 SERMON XXL 

verse that immediately follows our text : " Whom I shall 
see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not ano- 
ther, although my reins be consumed within me." Yes, 
it was to the vision of his God, that he joyfully looked 
forward, as the consummation of all his hopes and wishes. 
He gloried in the thought, that he should one day ascend 
to the regions of eternal light, and there contemplate the 
divine image as it is reflected from the countenance of his 
reigning Redeemer. He felt the same thrilling foretaste 
of heaven which prompted the apostle John to exclaim, 
" Now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet ap- 
pear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall 
appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he 
is." What a blessed — what a glorious prospect is this 
which the gospel opens on the eye of faith ! Who would 
exchange it for the treasures, the distinctions, or the gra- 
tifications of earth ! Surely no object can be conceived 
more worthy the pursuit of an immortal mind, than the 
privilege of beholding with open face, as in a glass, the 
majesty of the Godhead, so as to become gradually trans- 
formed into the same image of purity and complacency. 
There will be afforded, in such circumstances, the highest 
and the noblest sphere for the exercise of that imitative 
principle which the Creator has implanted so deeply in 
human nature. In the world of bliss the Holy One him- 
self is the pattern — the model — the standard of rectitude 
— to which all the inhabitants deem it at once their duty 
and their honour to conform. In short, to use the phrase- 
ology of a passage just quoted, they see the Deity as he 
is, and so become like him. 

And now, brethren, we would inquire, whether you 
know any thing of the faith which glowed in the bosom 
of Job, when he uttered the language of this text. You 
may believe, as a speculative truth, that there is a Re- 



SERMON XXI. 351 

deemer. But the question which we ask, and which we 
want you at once to answer to your own consciences, is, 
Do you act under the influence of the belief that this Re- 
deemer liveth, and shall stand at the latter day on the 
earth for the purpose of calling you to a strict account for 
your conduct, and then pronouncing your interminable 
sentence? Are you consoled amid the many trials, and 
difficulties, and sorrows incident to the present state, and 
especially when meditating on death and the grave, by 
the reflection that Christ has arisen from the tomb, and 
become the first-fruits of them that slept? Do you rejoice 
in the hope, that though you must go down to the sepul- 
chre, where worms shall riot on your mortal remains, yet 
the period approaches wheu you shall be raised in ho- 
nour, and permitted to behold the Saviour in whom you 
trust, and whom you love, mantled in a nature like your 
own? Are these, in truth, the sublime prospects which 
sustain, and cheer, and animate you in your pilgrimage 
through the wilderness of this world ? 

We would have you, dear hearers, to deal faithfully 
and rigorously with yourselves. You may deceive your 
fellow men, if you are depraved enough to wish to do so. 
You may deceive your own hearts. But One there is 
whom you cannot deceive. His eye has been incessantly 
upon you since the first dawn of your being. No incident 
of your moral history has escaped his notice. He has 
witnessed every action of your lives — every emotion of 
your souls. How important, then, is the self-examination 
to which we now exhort you ! Compare your religious 
feelings and views with those expressed by Job in the 
passage under consideration. We do not require 
that your faith should be the same in degree with his. 
But it should be the same in kind. All your hopes must 
cluster around the Redeemer. In his name you must 



352 SERMON XXI. 

trust. On his merits you must rely. With bis righteous- 
ness you must be clothed. Of his spirit you must be 
possessed. Along the path which he has travelled, you 
must cheerfully and constantly tread. To the contem- 
plation of his glory, and the fruition of his fulness in the 
celestial world, you must look forward as the end of your 
being — the consummation of your desires. Have you, 
then, an interest in the Lord Jesus Christ? The query 
is one which, if you are not remiss in the work of self- 
examination, it is possible for you to answer. We have, 
indeed, said — and we say it again — that a full and satis- 
factory conviction on this point, is by no means essential 
to the nature and reality of faith. But it is surely a very 
desirable attainment — an attainment that must contribute 
largely to present comfort in religion, and is particularly 
valuable in the solemn hour of death. Ah ! if the dying 
man is without some ground of confidence that his sins 
are forgiven, and that his memorial is on high, what must 
be the feelings and the anticipations that rend and over- 
whelm his soul ! 

This last consideration is one which we would par- 
ticularly press upon the consciences of those who know 
that they are devoid of an interest in the great Redeemer. 
We cannot doubt that there are such in this assembly. 
Would to God, dear hearers, that we could render you 
sensible of your wretched condition ! We say wretched, 
for it is a solemn fact, that so long as you are without a 
title to the salvation of Christ, you are in the gall of bit- 
terness, and in the bonds of iniquity — you must be stran- 
gers to real peace of mind, even in this world, while the 
portion of your cup in the world to come, must be in- 
dignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish. And O ! 
have you no desire to alter your condition ? Are you con- 
tent to remain in your present state? Tell us, would it 



sermon xxi. 353 

not be wiser and better to obtain the pardon of your sins, 
and secure the favour of your Maker, before the oppor- 
tunity of doing so is withdrawn — forever withdrawn? 
Why, then, do you hesitate? Why do you tarry ? Your 
life is a span — a vapour. Your days are melting away 
like snow drops on the ocean. Now is the time to make 
your peace with God, and provide for the exigencies of 
eternity. Repent while the door of mercy is open. " Thus 
saith the Lord of Hosts, Turn ye unto me, and I will 
turn unto you." 



SERMON XXII. 



DANIEL VI. 10. 

" Now when Daniel knew, that the writing was signed, he went into his house, 
and his windows being open in his chamber towards Jerusalem, he kneeled 
upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his 
God, as he did aforetime." 

Daniel was a descendant of one of the principal 
families of Judea. On the subversion of the Jewish 
government by Nebuchadnezzar, he was removed, with 
many more of his countrymen, as a captive to Babylon. 
His qualities, notwithstanding his extreme youth, attracted 
the particular notice of the conqueror, who ordered, that 
he and three other young men of similar rank, should be 
taken under the royal patronage, and furnished with the 
amplest opportunities of instruction, that Chaldea, then 
the seat of letters and science, could afford. 

As Daniel advanced in years, he became distinguished 
for his superior wisdom and piety. He possessed the 
esteem and confidence, not only of Nebuchadnezzar him- 
self, of his son Evil-merodach, and his grandson Bel- 
shazzar, but also of Darius, or, as he is otherwise called, 
Cyaxares, who ascended the throne of Babylon, on the 
capture of that magnificent metropolis, by his nephew, 
the celebrated Cyrus. Indeed, one of the first acts of 
Darius, on obtaining possession of the Chaldean empire, 
was the promotion of Daniel to the highest office in his 
gift. We are told, that he " preferred" him " above the 
presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was 



sermon xxii. 355 

in him, and the king thought to set him over the whole 
realm." 

It was a natural consequence of this elevation of a 
stranger to a post of the first honour and trust, that it 
should excite the envy, and provoke the animosity, of the 
throng of courtiers about Darius, who would conceive, 
that they, as old friends and tried servants, had a better 
title to the confidence of the monarch, and a stronger 
claim upon his favour. They accordingly watched, with 
the most rigid scrutiny, the conduct of Daniel, in the hope 
that they could discover grounds of complaint and ac- 
cusation against him. But to their great disappointment 
and chagrin, " neither error nor fault," was to be " found 
in him." The conclusion at which they arrived, deserves 
to be repeated, as one of the most honourable testimonies 
ever rendered in behalf of a human being. Their lan- 
guage was, " We shall not find any occasion against this 
Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law 
of his God." Their ingenuity soon suggested an expe- 
dient by which they thought, that they could hardly fail 
of accomplishing the degradation of their rival. They 
insidiously proposed to the king, that he should issue 
" a royal statute," and " make a firm decree," the pur- 
port of which was, that "whosoever" should "ask a 
petition of any God or man for thirty days," with the 
single exception of the sovereign himself, should " be cast 
into the den of lions." What a precious specimen of the 
honour, integrity and magnanimity of courts! But such, 
to a greater or less extent, has always been the state of 
things in the high places of regal governments. Of re- 
publics we are, in duty bound, to hope better things. — 
Darius, not suspecting the real object for which he was 
solicited to pass the proposed law, and, perhaps, viewing 
the matter as one of minor importance, from which no evil 



356 SERMON XXII. 

could result, if it should do no good, gave his assent to the 
measure, which his counsellors, in their collected wisdom, 
recommended with so much gravity and earnestness to his 
adoption. 

What was the conduct of Daniel, on hearing of the 
strange enactment which his sovereign had been induced 
to sanction? We can readily conjecture, how some of 
our modern Christians would have acted in the same cir- 
cumstances. They would have reasoned with themselves 
after this fashion : "God is a merciful being, and surely 
he will not expect, that we should expose ourselves to 
certain ruin, by violating this royal decree. We can still 
offer to his divine majesty the homage of our hearts — we 
can bow our souls before him in prayer — and this un- 
doubtedly will be as acceptable to him, as if we were to 
bend our knees. We shall, therefore, avoid the open in- 
fraction of the king's edict, taking care, however, to be 
even more scrupulous than formerly, in cultivating a de- 
votional frame of nrind." — But so reasoned not Daniel. 
Yery different was the course which he pursued. The 
text informs us, that as soon as he "knew, that the 
writing was signed, he went into his house, and his 
windows being open in his chamber towards Jerusalem, 
he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, 
and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.'' 

This passage of Scripture suggests a number of inter- 
esting and useful reflections, which we shall now proceed 
briefly to state, as they may occur, without aiming at a 
very methodical arrangement. 

And first, we may hence infer, that prayer w r as con- 
sidered by devout men, under the old dispensation, as an 
important duty. On this point it is needless to enlarge. 
Religion has been essentially the same, in all periods of 
the church. It is impossible, in the nature of things, that 



sermon xxn. 357 

there should ever have been a truly pious individual, who 
did not maintain habitual intercourse with the Father of 
his spirit. 

Again, we may learn from this passage, that a grateful 
frame of mind is always necessary in our approaches to 
the throne of the heavenly grace. It appears that Daniel, 
notwithstanding the peculiarly embarrassing and distress- 
ful circumstances in which he was placed, betrayed not 
the least symptom of a querulous disposition in his com- 
munion with the Most High. Instead of complaining, 
that his lot was a hard one, he submitted with all the 
yielding meekness of faith, to the will of his Maker, and 
"gave thanks before his God," for the mercies with which 
his past life had been crowned, and of which he could 
not but feel himself to be unworthy. How differently in 
this respect do Christians often act? While their condi- 
tion is prosperous, they acknowledge their obligations to 
Jehovah, and implore a continuance of his bounties. But 
as soon as the clouds of adversity gather in their horizon, 
they seem to lose, in a great measure, the recollection of 
the previous blessings which they enjoyed ; or, at 
least, almost every sentiment of gratitude to their Father 
in heaven, who conferred upon them those blessings, is 
effaced from their minds. They do not, indeed, cease to 
pray. On the contrary, their prayers may become more 
frequent and importunate than they were before. But 
the petitions to which they give utterance, are not the 
breathings of thankful and contrite hearts. They are 
little better than murmurings against the providence of the 
Most High. Brethren, have a care how you thus act. 
Remember that your obligations to God are not cancelled 
by any afflictions, however numerous and overwhelming, 
which, in his infinite wisdom and benevolence, he may 
think proper to send upon you. It has been well said, 

43 



358 sermon xxn. 

that " present troubles do not annihilate former mercies." 
Consider too, that the calamities which you are called to 
endure, though severe, are still less trying, than they 
might have been. There is much truth in the remark, 
that "in every sorrow that you have yet experienced, it 
would be very easy for you to imagine what would have 
greatly aggravated and embittered it." And above all, 
reflect, that every adverse event, if duly improved, shall 
contribute to promote your progress in piety, and thus 
swell the amount of your final happiness. We are sure, 
that when you contemplate this subject in the light in 
which we have now represented it, you must be convinced, 
that the union of thanksgiving with prayer, in the season 
of affliction, is a most important duty. No supplicatory 
address to the mercy-seat of Heaven can be efficacious, 
which does not arise from a heart deeply penetrated with 
a sense of the divine benignity. Says the apostle Paul, 
"In every thing by prayer and supplication with 
thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto 
God." Again, " Continue in prayer, and watch in the 
same with thanksgiving." And in another place, 
"in every thing give thanks." 

Further, we may learn from the text before us, that 
prayer is a duty which ought to be performed very fre- 
quently. We are here told, that Daniel entered into his 
chamber " three times every day," for the purpose of bow- 
ing himself before his God. There is reason to believe, 
that, in thus acting, he conformed to a general custom long 
prevalent among pious Jews. The language of the 
Psalmist is, " Evening and morning and at noon will I 
pray and cry aloud." We do not say, that this passage 
and the example of Daniel settle precisely the question, 
how many times, in the course of the twenty-four hours, 
the Christian should engage in devotional exercises. We 



sermon xxii. 359 

know, that this is a matter relative to which we must be 
governed by circumstances. One individual may have so 
much leisure, that it would seem as if he ought not to think 
it sufficient to call upon Jehovah, " evening, morning, and at 
noon ; while another may be placed in such a situation as 
to have almost no time whatever at his own disposal, and 
may, therefore, be deemed excuseable, if he invokes his 
heavenly Father, before he closes his eyes in sleep at 
night, and before he betakes himself, on the return of the 
day, to his wonted occupations. The only general rule 
that can be laid down on this subject, is, that our stated 
periods of devotion should recur as frequently as is 
consistent with a due attention to the necessary busi- 
ness of life. If we adopt this rule, we shall comply 
at least with the spirit of the apostolic injunction, which 
directs us to " pray without ceasing." Yes, brethren, and 
if we only feel the importance of prayer — not merely per- 
forming it as a duty, but resorting to it as a privilege — we 
shall find time, even amid the most numerous, complicated 
and pressing engagements, for drawing near to the mercy- 
seat of our God, oftener than we might otherwise imagine. 
Look at the case of Daniel himself. Was he a man of 
leisure? Think you, that the chief minister of Darius 
had little to occupy his attention or distract his mind ? 
We must surely presume the contrary. The distinguish- 
ed and responsible office which he held, necessarily im- 
posed upon him a variety of important and urgent duties. 
Still he persisted in withdrawing to his apartment for 
prayer three times in each day. And will you pretend to 
tell us, honest man, that the concerns of your store, your 
counting room, your office, your plantation, are as weighty 
and perplexing as those of an empire? We respect your 
veracity. But we must say, dear hearers, that the busiest 
individual among you is not oppressed with as heavy a 



360 SERMON XXII. 

burden of cares, as was Daniel. And do you pray as fre- 
quently as he? We leave the question with your con- 
sciences. It is one of no ordinary moment. 

We proceed to remark, that Daniel is said, in the text, 
to have prayed in his chamber with the " windows open." 
The question will at once arise, Why did he act in this 
manner? We answer, Not for the purpose of attracting 
observation, and impressing those who saw him with an 
opinion of his pre-eminent sanctity ; nor because he con- 
ceived that his petitions would be more readily heard by 
Jehovah, when his windows were not closed. We may 
further reply, that he probably did not open his windows 
as an act of defiance to the monarch, whose recent decree 
he contravened. Had he been influenced by a motive of 
this kind, his conduct would have been reprehensible. A 
good man will not wantonly expose himself to danger, 
any more than he will shrink from it, when duty plainly 
demands, that it be encountered. We presume, that 
Daniel had been accustomed to pray with his windows 
open, and, therefore, could not, consistently with the dic- 
tates of conscience, pursue a different course, iu order to 
circumvent his enemies, and escape the ruin with which 
they menaced him. He may have feared, that, by de- 
viating from a mode of worship to which he had inured 
himself, he should obstruct the flow of his devotional 
feelings. In religion as well as in other things, man is 
the creature of habit. We suppose, that most Chris- 
tians have found, that they enjoy more freedom and com- 
fort in prayer under circumstances to which they have 
been long habituated, than when placed in a novel situa- 
tion. They have probably discovered, that, when sur- 
rounded by a new set of external objects, it is unusually 
difficult for them to collect their thoughts, and fix their 
attention. Experience, we doubt not, has taught them, 



SERMON XXII. g61 

that they cannot even adopt an unwonted posture, without 
feeling a degree of spiritual restraint consequent on the 
change. The train of thought into which we have now 
been led, reminds us of an observation which occurs in 
the invaluable " Remains" of Cecil — a little work, we 
may take the opportunity of saying, which will amply re- 
pay the partiality of those who frequently open its pages. 
That original thinker, and eminently pious man, remarks: 
" I have a favourite walk of twenty steps in my study and 
chamber ; that walk is my oratory ; but if another man 
were obliged to walk as he prayed, it is very probable he 
could not pray at all." You may tell us, that this is all 
imagination, and that he whose heart is in a proper state, 
will not be thus the slave of outward circumstances. But 
we are quite sure, that no one who has studied the laws 
of the human mind, will be disposed to call in question 
the general correctness of the principle which we have 
here assumed. The practical inference to be drawn from 
this principle is, that Christians ought to observe what 
circumstances are most helpful to them in their devotional 
exercises, so as to avail themselves of every auxiliary 
which the relations of space and time can afford. Nothing 
by which the interests of their souls may be, in any de- 
gree, promoted, is unworthy of their regard. 

Is it next asked, why Daniel opened the windows of 
his apartment towards Jerusalem? We answer, that it 
was perfectly natural for the captives in Babylon to che- 
rish the fondest recollections of their native land. Be- 
sides, it appears to have been a standing custom with the 
Jews, when absent from Judea, to conduct their devotional 
exercises with their faces in the direction of that country, 
just as the Mahometan now looks towards Mecca, as 
often as he engages in prayer. This custom was sanc- 
tioned, if not indirectly enjoined, by Solomon, when he 



362 SERMON XXII. 

dedicated the temple. The prayer which he addressed 
to God on that occasion, contains the following passage : 
" If thy people go out to battle against their enemies, 
whithersoever thou shalt send them, and shall pray unto 
the Lord towards the city which thou hast chosen, and 
towards the house that 1 have built for thy name : then 
hear thou in heaven their prayer, and their supplication, 
and maintain their cause." And again, in anticipation of 
the captivity which awaited his countrymen, Solomon en- 
treats, that if they should return unto the Lord with all 
their heart and soul in the land of their enemies, and in- 
voke the name of Jehovah, with their faces towards the 
city and temple of Jerusalem, their requests might be 
heard and fulfilled. These passages, we hope, will be 
accounted sufficient to exculpate Daniel from the charge 
of weakness and superstition, which some might be tempt- 
ed to prefer against him. He opened his windows towards 
Jerusalem, not only in obedience to a natural dictate of 
the human heart, but in conformity to a virtual injunction 
of the God whom he adored. 

With regard to the posture in which Daniel prayed, we 
have not much to say. We have no doubt that the prac- 
tice of kneeling was in use among devout men from the 
earliest periods of the church. It is an attitude significant 
of humility and reverence, and may, therefore, be adopted 
with eminent propriety, in our supplicatory approaches 
to the throne of the divine majesty. We presume, that 
the great majority of Christians, at the present day, con- 
duct their private devotions on their knees. This too is 
the most common posture in family prayer; though there 
are districts of our country in which standing is often 
adopted. As to the best attitude in our public congrega- 
tions, we shall merely remark — and we are certainly 
within bounds when we make the assertion — that there is 






SERMON XXII. 363 

at least as much reason to believe, that standing was the 
practice of the primitive church, as that kneeling was. 
But we are not disposed to contend for a matter so unim- 
portant as this. There is nothing more repugnant to the 
genius of Christianity, than that narrow and puerile sec- 
tarian feeling, which would seek to render the mere forms 
and etiquette, if we may so speak, of devotion, a subject 
of strife and a ground of division, among those who pro- 
fess to worship a common God, and to trust in a common 
Redeemer. Such bigotry, however some may still en- 
deavour to cherish and extend it, is as hostile to the spirit 
of the age in which we live, as it is opposed to the prin- 
ciples of the gospel. Yes, and we venture to predict, 
that those denominations which are least infected by its 
unholy influence, will make the widest and most rapid 
strides in enlarging their numbers, and multiplying their 
means of doing good. — Brethren, we say, let every one, 
both in public and private, adopt that attitude in prayer, 
which his own experience has taught him is best adapted 
to promote his spiritual comfort, and accelerate his pro- 
gress in piety. 

No one can read the text on which we are now com- 
menting, without being struck with the stern and uncom- 
promising rectitude which Daniel displayed. He well 
knew, that if he adhered to his customary mode of devo- 
tion, in opposition to the mandate of Darius, he could not 
by any device, escape the threatened punishment. He 
was aware that a law of the Medes and Persians, whether 
wise or unwise, whether just or unjust, could not be re- 
voked, and, consequently, he entertained no hope of the 
royal clemency in the event of his disobedience. The 
dreadful alternative was presented to his consideration ; 
he must either neglect his duty to his (rod, or be consign- 
ed to a den of lions. It does not appear that he hesitated 



364 - SERMON XXII. 

for a single moment, in deciding on the part which he 
should act. Indeed the text informs us, that as soon as 
he heard of the king's decree, or, rather, as soon after- 
wards as the stated hour arrived, he withdrew to his cham- 
ber, and there, with the windows open, bowed himself in 
adoration before the august Divinity, to whom he was for- 
bidden to render homage. Who does not admire the mo- 
ral heroism which he thus exhibited! 

And here let it be distinctly observed, that the edict of 
Darius was one, which, like all other measures in religi- 
ous persecution, could only control the external conduct 
of Daniel. It could not prevent him from cherishing the 
spirit, and breathing the secret aspirations of prayer. He 
might have appeared to comply with the royal prohibition, 
at the same time that he spent almost the whole night, as 
he lay upon his bed, in close and fervent communion with 
his Father in heaven. But the prophet would not shrink 
even from the profession of his obligations and his ac- 
countability to Jehovah. His conscience would not suffer 
him to omit the open prostration of himself before the 
throne of heaven's high majesty, in obedience to the ar- 
bitrary veto of any earthly potentate. He did not stop to 
inquire, whether he might not conduct his devotional ex- 
ercises in secret till the thirty days had elapsed, without 
being guilty of such a dereliction of duty, as should inflict 
a fatal wound on his soul. He felt that the honour of his 
God was concerned, and in such a case, it was not for him 
to act a timid and calculating part. In short, he mani- 
fested a fearless inflexibility of holy purpose, which the 
author of the celebrated Essay on Decision of Character, 
has not failed to note as among the happiest illustrations of 
his subject. 

Moralists have said, and rightly said, that courage is 
an essential constituent of real virtue. We may with no 



SERMON XXII. 365 

less truth affirm, that the same quality belongs to the na- 
ture of genuine piety. Indeed, we may appeal directly to 
the law and testimony of Scripture in support of this po- 
sition. Solomon assigns, as one characteristic of the 
righteous, that they are bold as a lion. The apostle Peter, 
enumerating certain moral qualities which he exhorts 
Christians to add to their faith, places valour or courage 
— for so the original term in this instance ought to be ren- 
dered, and not virtue — at the head of the catalogue. Let 
us next hear the language of our divine Lord himself: 
" Fear not them who kill the body, but are not able to kill 
the soul ; but rather fear him who is able to destroy both 
soul and body in hell." Brethren, cultivate an undaunt- 
ed and a resolute spirit in the performance of what you 
have once ascertained to be your duty. Let nothing inti- 
midate you, when the dictate of conscience is clear and 
imperative. A good man, in such a case, will feel a mea- 
sure of that heroic determination which animated the soul 
of the great reformer, when, regardless of the affectionate 
and earnest dissuasions of his friends, he declared that 
he would go to the Diet of Worms, though as many de- 
vils stood in array against him as there were tiles on the 
houses. 

We shall only add, in concluding, that the conduct of 
Daniel, in the case under consideration, evinces the reality 
and the efficacy of religion. Nothing but a paramount 
sense of accountability to the Most High, and an invinci- 
ble confidence in the divine faithfulness and benignity, 
could have sustained the prophet in the arduous conflict 
through which he was doomed to pass. Happy the indi- 
vidual who possesses, in any degree, the same heaven- 
born principle ! How is it, dear hearers, with you ? Tell 
us, do you seriously and candidly believe that, had you 
been placed in Daniel's circumstances, you would have 

44 



$66 SERMON XXII. 

done precisely as he did ? Interrogate your consciences on 
this point. Or, if you regard the question as one which it 
may be difficult for you to answer, we have another query 
to propose — How often do you pray ? We shall presume 
that none in this assembly are entirely strangers to prayer, 
though we almost fear that the presumption implies an 
excess of charity. We ask, then, how many times every 
day you retire to some secret apartment, and there, pros- 
trating yourselves in spirit before your Maker, render to 
him a tribute of heart- felt gratitude for mercies already 
received, and solicit, in humble submission to his will, 
and entire deference to his superior wisdom, a con- 
tinued supply of blessings suited to your wants as fallen, 
yet immortal beings? We shall add nothing to this in- 
quiry, beyond the single request, that you will make it a 
subject of deep and anxious meditation, throughout the 
week on which you have now entered. 



SERMON XXIII. 

DUTERONOMY XXIX. 29. 

«* The secret things belong unto the Lord our God; but those things which are 
revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the 
words of this law." 

The tendency of the human mind to extremes is so 
common and striking, that it has become proverbial. 
This tendency is displayed in respect to all the wide 
variety of topics, with which we are conversant. Of 
course, it extends to religion. We accordingly find, that 
two opposite errors in relation to this general subject, are 
prevalent among men. There are those who desire to 
know too much ; and there are others who are careless 
of knowing any thing. Now, to each of these classes of 
individuals, our text addresses important instruction. It 
condemns the unbounded curiosity of the former, by as- 
suring them, that " secret things belong unto the Lord our 
God;" and it rebukes the slothful indifference of the latter, 
by telling them, that, " things which are revealed, belong 
unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all 
the words of" the divine "law." 

Much has been said of curiosity as one of the instinc- 
tive principles of our nature. The Creator has endued 
us with a desire of knowledge, which is the basis of 
all mental improvement. There is pain in the conscious- 
ness of our ignorance, and pleasure in the removal of this 
ignorance, just as there is pain in the sensation of hunger, 



368 SERMON XXIII. 

and pleasure in the gratification of our appetite. The 
earliest developments of mind in children evince the ex- 
istence of the principle to which we refer, and, in fact, 
consist in the vigorous operations of this principle. Yisit 
the nursery, and interrupt the mother, as she is rehearsing 
to her infant boy some tale of marvellous tenour, and you 
will not fail to remark the impatience which he will 
mauifest for your departure, or, at least, for the resump- 
tion of the narrative to which he had been listening. — 
Would you behold the influence of the same principle in 
maturerlife? Enter the room where the female, "un- 
mindful of her form," and regardless of her dress, is trac- 
ing " with enchanted steps the mazes" of a new romance 
— or, repair to the study of the philosopher, before whose 
piercing eye a new field of intellectual research has just 
presented itself, and who has devoted his powers to the 
task of investigation, with the hope of revealing mysteries, 
which nature had concealed from all former inquirers. 
But it would be superfluous to multiply examples. The 
desire of knowledge is obviously among the most univer- 
sal and the most active of our emotions. Nor need we 
now speak of " that bounteous providence of heaven," 
which, 

" In every breast implanted this desire 

Of objects new and strange — to urge us on, 

With unremitted ardour, to pursue 

Those sacred stores that wait the ripening soul, 

In truth's exhaustless bosom." 

It is not to be wondered at, that the curiosity of men 
should extend to religious subjects. These subjects, pro- 
perly considered, are among the most interesting and su- 
blime that can claim the attention, or employ the facul- 
ties of the human intellect. They relate to the being and 
perfections of Him who created and who upholds all 



SERMON XXIII. 359 

things — to the nature and objects of that moral govern- 
ment which he exercises over the universe — to the pro- 
vision which he has made for the pardon of sin, and the 
recovery of our fallen race — to the duties of our present 
state, and to the destinies which await us after death, 
and which are to constitute the momentous incidents of 
our history throughout eternity. Such topics surely de- 
serve our contemplation, and so far as they are exhibited 
on the works of God, or in his word, they cannot be too 
closely and perseveringly studied. There is, therefore, 
a desire of knowledge in relation to sacred things, 
which is not only commendable, but essentially connected 
with our interests and happiness as moral and immortal 
beings. This species of curiosity, as we shall have oc- 
casion more fully to remark in the sequel, is sanctioned 
and indirectly enjoined by the passage now under con- 
sideration. 

But there is another species of curiosity with regard to 
religious subjects, which the text disapproves and virtually 
prohibits. There is a strong propensity to know more of 
the history, character and purposes of God, than he has 
deemed it expedient to unfold. There is an anxiety to 
penetrate the hidden counsels of the High and Holy One, 
which impels its possessor to overstep the boundaries of 
revelation, and to spurn the divine mandate, "Thus far 
shalt thou go." There is an unsanctified restlessness of 
mind, which is continually aspiring to be wise above what 
is written, and under the influence of which men are seen 
prying into the mysteries of the Godhead, and pushing 
their presumptuous way over regions which angels either 
visit not at all, or else visit with unsandalled feet, and trem- 
bling steps. Now, it is this excessive and unreasonable 
thirst for interdicted knowledge concerning sacred things, 
which the passage before us condemns. And deserves it not 



370 



SERMON XXIII. 



condemnation? The circumstances of the fall exhibit it 
as the source of all human wo. To be " as God, know- 
ing good and evil," was the splendid prize for the attain- 
ment of which our first parent made the fatal experiment 
by which himself and his posterity were undone. 

That the kind of curiosity of which we now speak, is 
improper, and ought to be restrained, may be sufficiently 
shown from the simple fact, that our divine Master, when 
on earth, always checked and reproved it in his disciples. 
We may be allowed to mention the particular instances 
to which we refer. On one occasion, as he was travelling 
towards Jerusalem, and delivering religious instruction in 
the various towns and villages through which he passed, 
a certain person presumed to interrogate him on a subject 
respecting which men have generally been solicitous to 
obtain full information. "Lord," said he, "are there 
few that be saved?" Some expositors, it is true, have 
thought, that curiosity may not have been the motive 
which dictated this question. But most readers, if we 
are not mistaken, will differ from them in opinion. The 
answer of Christ was such as the querist would probably 
never forget. "Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for 
many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not 
be able." — Again, in one of the Saviour's last conferences 
with his followers prior to his ascension, the apostle 
Peter, whose own future destiny had just been partially 
foretold, was extremely anxious to be informed what 
would befall his friend and colleague John. Mark the 
pointed reply of Jesus. "If I will that he tarry till I come, 
what is that to thee : follow thou me." This language, 
indeed, seems to have been understood by the disciples 
as implying, that the individual of whom it was spoken 
should not die. But it was nothing more than a just re- 
proof of Peter's idle and impertinent curiosity. — A third 






sermon xxni. 371 

instance occurred just before Christ was taken up from 
his disciples into heaven. He had assembled them to- 
gether, and begun to give them some important directions 
relative to the course which it would be proper for them 
to pursue after his departure, when he was interrupted 
with the question, " Lord, wilt thou at this time restore 
again the kingdom to Israel?" The satisfaction which 
they obtained, was this : " It is not for you to know the 
times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own 
power. But ye shall receive power after that the Holy 
Ghost hath come upon you ; and ye shall be witnesses 
unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Sa- 
maria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." — To 
these replies of our Lord, we might add a passage in one 
of Paul's Epistles, where he speaks of those who have 
the boldness to intrude into what God has not revealed. 

An extravagant and ill- directed curiosity on religious 
subjects, is by no means so common, nor does it occasion 
so much strife, and so many divisions in the Christian 
church, now as formerly. We are fallen on times ra- 
tional and peaceable, compared with those which our an- 
cestors of former centuries experienced. They who are 
only imperfectly acquainted with ecclesiastical history, 
would be surprized, as well as amused, merely to hear of 
some of the topics in the investigation of which the theolo- 
gians of the middle ages exercised their faculties and spent 
their lives. Thus it was one of their most favourite inquiries 
respecting the Deity, whether he exists as much in ima- 
ginary space as in real. But the truth is, that they gave 
themselves less concern about the Deity himself, and the 
mode of his subsistence, than about that class of his in- 
telligent creatures, which we are accustomed to style, in 
scriptural phraseology, Angels. This particular branch 
of theological science, which they termed Angelography, 



372 SERMON XXIII. 

was esteemed by them as far the most interesting and im- 
portant. And what, think you, were the questions which 
they were wont to agitate concerning angels P Why, 
such as the following, viz. " Whether they can pass from 
one point of space to another, without passing through 
the intermediate points? Whether they can visually dis- 
cern objects in the dark? Whether more than one can 
exist at the same moment in the same physical point ? ?? 
and " Whether they can exist in a perfect vacuum, with 
any relation to the absolute incorporeal void ?" 

We smile at these futile and ridiculous queries, which 
were once discussed with so much pomp and ardour in 
all the universities of Europe. And yet the spirit which 
prompted them is not utterly extinct. It survived the Re- 
formation, and exists even amid the augmented light, 
which distinguishes the present period of mental excite- 
ment and activity. Men have not yet learned to discri- 
minate effectually between those secret things which be- 
long unto the Lord our Grod, and those revealed things 
which belong to us and to our children. The divines of 
our own day have other puzzles equally unedifying as 
those just mentioned. There is still too much curiosity 
in respect to the mysteries of religion — too strong and un- 
governable a desire to know what the Deity in his infinite 
wisdom and goodness, has thought it best to conceal. Let 
us advert, for a few moments, to one or two of the topics 
on which this desire is exercised — topics, in relation to 
which, we humbly conceive, that there are agitated ques- 
tions almost as preposterous, and certainly as destitute of 
practical utility, as any that may be found in all the spe- 
culations of Angelograjphy. 

First, we shall mention the subject of the Trinity. All 
that the sacred Scriptures clearly reveal on this subject may 
be comprised in a very few words. They teach us, that 



sermon xxni. 373 

God in a certain sense is one, and in another sense is 
three. But men are not content with this amount of 
information. They are anxious to understand how it is, 
that God is both one and three. They want to have this 
difficulty relative to the Godhead thoroughly cleared up. 
They are determined to learn at least something more of 
the mystery than the volume of inspiration unfolds. 

Again, the same improper curiosity is displayed in re- 
lation to the nature of the satisfaction rendered by Christ 
for our sins. The sacred Scriptures inform us, that the 
incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and intercession of 
the Son of God constitute a system of means which the 
Deity has been pleased to appoint for the deliverance of 
men from guilt and misery. But they intimate very little 
respecting the manner in which these meansjiave operated 
to accomplish the end proposed. And this is precisely 
the point, with regard to which the inquisitive theologian 
is so desirous of being wise above what is written. He is 
not content with the simple assurance, that the mediation 
of Jesus Christ has rendered it possible for God to be 
just, and yet the justifier of sinners. He has various 
doubts to be resolved, and difficulties to be removed. To 
use his own scholastic language, he must know, whether 
the death of Christ was a satisfaction of common or of 
distributive justice. 

Similar curiosity is manifested in relation to the extent 
of the atonement. The sacred Scriptures inform us, that 
Christ died, in one sense, for the whole, and, in another 
sense, for only a portion, of the human family. Thus 
they assert, that he tasted death for every man, and also 
that he laid down his life for his sheep. Now there are 
those who, instead of admitting both these truths on the 
testimony of Him who cannot lie, proceed on the supposi- 
tion, that they are contradictory, and, therefore, adopt the 

45 



374 SERMON XXIII. 

one, and reject the other, according as prejudice or fancy 
may dictate. We do not scruple to say, that had a due 
distinction been uniformly observed between the secret 
things which belong to God, and the revealed things 
which belong to us and to our children, many a refined 
disquisition, many a keen and protracted controversy on 
the extent of the atonement might have been avoided. 

We shall mention but one theological topic more, with 
regard to which an unsanctified curiosity is too often in- 
dulged. We allude to the general subject of the divine 
sovereignty in conjunction with human accountability. 
The sacred Scriptures expressly declare, that God work- 
eth all things after the counsel of his own will. At the 
same time, they teach us, that we are endowed with such 
a degree of liberty, as renders us moral agents, the sub- 
jects of reward and punishment. Now, it is our duty to 
receive both these truths, because our Maker has revealed 
them. Nor is it our business to perplex and harass our- 
selves with efforts to solve all the subtle and inexplicable 
queries which they suggest to the reflecting mind. And 
yet to what ponderous tomes of polemical divinity have 
such efforts given birth ! We have always regarded it as 
one of the happiest conceptions of Milton, that he has 
made the misery of fallen spirits to consist partly in 

" reasonings high, 

Of providence, foreknowledge, will, and fate, 
Fix'd fate, free-will, foreknowledge absolute i" 

And when such was their employment, the poet need 
scarcely have added, that they 

"Found no end in wand'ring mazes lost." 

We have already dwelt longer on the first division of 
our subject, than we intended, and shall conclude with 



sermon xxiii. . 375 

the single remark, that it is our duty to yield an implicit 
credence to all the truths revealed in the sacred volume, 
whether we can fully comprehend them or not. If there 
are difficulties and seeming contradictions in the word of 
God, let us remember, that there are also difficulties and 
seeming contradictions in the works of God. Whether 
we look upon the natural or the moral world — whether 
we trace the footsteps of the Deity in the kingdom of his 
providence, or in the economy of his grace, we shall have 
abundant reason to exclaim " How unsearchable are his 
judgments, and his ways past finding out !" 

We proceed next to observe, that as there are those who 
possess too much curiosity on religious subjects, so there 
are others who possess not enough. Of these two extreme 
errors, the latter is the more common. We would not, 
indeed, say, that there are very many persons in our con- 
gregations at the present day, who are totally destitute of 
curiosity with regard to the truths of the Bible. The in- 
stitutions of the gospel — especially the stated expositions 
of scriptural passages from the pulpit — are calculated to 
excite at least a transient interest in all whose minds are 
not too dull to think, and whose hearts are not too hard 
to feel. But the desire of knowledge which may be thus 
awakened, generally extends only to a few speculative 
points, or is so feeble in its influence as to produce no per- 
manent impression on the character and conduct. It is 
not to be questioned, that of those who live in the ample 
enjoyment of all the means of grace, there are numbers 
who feel an almost utter indifference in respect to the car- 
dinal subjects of Christianity. How few take up the New 
Testament with as much pleasure as they do a novel, a 
poem, a book of travels, a magazine, or even an ordinary 
newspaper ! Look at an audience to whom a preacher is 
discoursing of those revealed things which belong to us 



376 SERMON XXIII. 

and to our children. Mark the listlessness and unconcern 
which so often reign throughout a large portion of the 
assembly. Count the number who are asleep — the num- 
ber whose eyes are "turned on empty space" — and the 
number who are occupied in observing the dress or the 
countenances of those around them. Separate these and 
others in similar circumstances from the congregation, and 
we fear that you will have but a scanty remnant left. 

It was before remarked, that the text indirectly rebukes 
those who feel little or no concern about the momentous 
topics of religion. It tells us, that, the things which are 
revealed belong to us and to our children. Now, such 
language evidently implies, that it is our solemn and im- 
perious duty to attend to these things — to make them the 
subject of frequent, fervent, persevering study. Indeed, 
the very fact, that God has condescended to favour us with 
a revelation of his will, is a sufficient indication, that he 
requires us to become familiar with the important truths 
which it communicates. He surely did not give us the 
Bible to be thrown up on some dusty shelf in our library, 
or to be exhibited as a piece of ornamental furniture in 
our parlour. No, he put it into our hands, that we might 
make it the man of our counsel — that we might explore 
its pages by day, and meditate on its contents by night. 
His emphatic language to us is, Search the Scriptures. 

But here some may tell us, the Bible is a very obscure 
book — exceedingly hard to be understood — so much so, 
that folio upon folio has been written to clear up its diffi- 
culties, and illustrate its doctrines and precepts. We 
might at once answer, that if the fact be as you say, it 
only furnishes an additional reason for diligence and per- 
severance in the study of the word of God. But the 
truth is, that the sacred Scriptures are not so dark and 
difficult as many imagine. The fundamental points of 



sermon xxiii. 377 

faith and practice are exhibited with sufficient distinctness 
to be fully comprehended by the feeblest of human intel- 
lects. The path to life is so plainly laid out, that the 
way-faring men, though fools, need not err therein. The 
leading duties of man are written in characters so large 
and legible, that he who runs may read. Let no one sup- 
pose, that the thousand commentaries on the Old and New 
Testaments, which the world may contain, constitute an 
argument for the obscurity of sacred writ. We cannot, 
perhaps, set this subject in a better light, than by present- 
ing you with the account given by the Persian traveller, 
in a letter to one of his friends at home, of a visit which 
he paid to the library of a French convent. U Father, 
said I to the librarian, what are these huge volumes which 
fill the whole side of the library ? These, said he, are 
the interpreters of the Scriptures. There is a prodigious 
number of them, replied I ; the Scriptures must have been 
very dark formerly, and very clear at present. Do there 
remain still any doubts ? Are there now any points con- 
tested? Are there, answered he with surprise, are there? 
There are almost as many as there are lines. You asto- 
nish me, said I ; what then have all these authors been 
doing? These authors, returned he, never searched the 
Scriptures for what ought to be believed, but for what 
they did believe themselves." — It is proper to add, that a 
few scriptural expositors — and only a few — may be ex- 
empted from the censure so happily conveyed in this pun- 
gent passage. 

Brethren, the Bible is not a book of riddles and enig- 
mas. Its cardinal truths may be readily understood by 
any one who sits down to the study of its pages with a 
sincere and an anxious desire to ascertain the will of his 
Maker. He will discover that the commandment is not 
hidden from him. He will be under no necessity of climb- 



378 SERMON XXIII. 

ing to heaven, or going beyond the sea, in order to learn 
his duty. He will find the word very nigh him, even in 
his mouth, and in his heart. — This, however, we say 
not to impress you with the idea, that a slight and casual 
perusal of the sacred Scriptures will suffice, but to re- 
move any discouragement that might arise from the sup- 
posed obscurity of this precious volume, and thus incite 
you to the careful and constant investigation of those re- 
vealed things which belong to us and to our children. 
With these things it behooves us all to be fully acquainted. 
We may not be wise above what is written. But it has 
been justly remarked, that we should be wise up to that 
which is written. 

Our limits to night will not allow us to attempt an 
enumeration of the various revealed truths which demand 
our earnest and unwearied attention. All Scripture is 
given by inspiration of God, and all Scripture, therefore, 
should occasionally engross our thoughts and meditations. 
It is certain, however, that some things contained in the 
sacred volume, are more important than others, and, of 
course, should be more frequently present to our minds. 
Thus whatever relates to the existence and perfections of 
God — to our own character and condition — to the person 
and offices of the Redeemer of mankind — to the means 
which we are to use, and the line of conduct which we 
are to pursue, in order to secure the favour of our Father 
in heaven — may be considered as primary subjects of 
study, and should be understood so far as they are intel- 
ligible to the human intellect in its present state. 

And here let us observe in a single word, that the 
knowledge w r hich we acquire of revealed truths, must be 
of a practical nature. Its influence must reach to the 
heart, the seat of our affections, and the source of our 
moral actions. On this particular point, however, we 



SERMON XXIIL 379 

shall not now say more than that it is fairly implied in 
the text, which tells us, that revealed things belong to 
us, to the end, " that we may do all the words of" the 
divine "law." 

There is a further topic of reflection included in the 
text, on which it would not be proper to omit offering a 
few remarks. We are here told, that the things which 
are revealed, belong not only to us, but to our chil- 
dren. This is one among several passages of Scripture, 
which connect with our own spiritual interests, those of 
our offspring. Thus it is said, that, " the promise is to 
us and to our children." To the pious Jew the precept 
of Jehovah was, " These words which I command thee 
this day, shall be in thine heart; and thou shalt teach them 
diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when 
thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the 
way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest 
up." But we need not multiply quotations in support of 
a duty, the reality and importance of which none, it is 
presumed, are disposed to deny. 

But although the reality and importance of this duty 
are so generally admitted, how exceedingly rare are the 
instances in which it is faithfully performed! Few, 
alas ! are the parents who feel as much anxiety for the 
religious instruction of their children as they ought— as 
the word of God, and the spirit of Christianity enjoin. 
They will avoid neither care nor expense to improve the 
minds of their sons, and to accomplish the persons of 
their daughters, while the heart, the noblest part of man, 
from which " are the issues of life," is, to say the least, 
comparatively neglected. 

We would not now be understood as expressing any 
disapprobation of the ornamental branches of female 
education. And still less is it our desire to say thing 



380 SERMON XXIII. 

against the culture of the mind in either males or females. 
On the contrary, no one can feel a deeper interest in the 
mental improvement of the community, than the speaker 
who now addresses you. His only object is to say, that 
the most important wisdom is that which pertains to the 
salvation of the soul, and that the noblest accomplish- 
ments are those which fit the human being for the society 
of heaven. 

It is not our design this evening to enter into a discus- 
sion of the subject of religious education. We can 
merely urge upon you the importance of teaching your 
children to study and value that volume, which reveals 
the things that belong to them as well as to you. Let 
them learn to esteem it as the first and best of Heaven's 
gifts — a gift by the due improvement of which their hap- 
piness in this world, and in the next, is to be promoted. 
It is the appropriate and imperative duty of parents to 
make the study of revealed truth a part of the stated oc- 
cupations of their children. This is a branch of instruc- 
tion which cannot be commmenced too early, nor con- 
tinued too long. 

But what, it may be inquired, is meant by the study of 
the sacred Scriptures ? We answer, that it does not con- 
sist simply in the perusal — even though it be a daily pe- 
rusal — of their pages. The parent must take upon him- 
self the task of exposition and of application. He must 
first endeavour to make his children understand the 
truths of Heaven, and then he must urge upon their con- 
sciences the obligation of acting in conformity with these 
truths. And especially should he teach them the neces- 
sity of prayer, as an auxiliary to the profitable use of 
the inspired record. He should tell them again and 
again, that, without the aid and blessing of the Most 
High, their own efforts to comprehend the doctrines, and 



SERMON XXIII. 381 

to practise the precepts of the Bible, will be of no avail. 
And to give to this solemn lesson its proper efficacy, the 
parent must rely chiefly on the powerful influence of his 
own habitual example. He must not only point to the 
throne of the heavenly grace, but must himself lead the 
way. He must, day by day, conduct his offspring to that 
throne, and there unite with them in the fervent petition, 
" Lord, open thou our eyes, that we may behold won- 
drous things out of thy law." 

Three practical reflections are suggested by the text. 
We shall glance at them for a moment in concluding. 

Learn to avoid an idle and unprofitable curiosity with 
regard to religious subjects. Distinguish between things 
secret and things revealed. Be content with the know- 
ledge of those truths, which God, in his infinite wisdom 
and benevolence, has thought fit to disclose. Consume 
not your time in the investigation of matters which can 
never be fully understood in this world, and which, even 
if they could be fully understood, would have no percep- 
tible nor felt influence on the moral character, and ulterior 
destination of man. 

But while you thus guard against an overweening 
curiosity respecting religious subjects, beware of falling 
into the opposite fault of indifference. We would im- 
press it upon you, that " the things which are revealed 
belong" to you — that they are your property, and as such 
should be wisely and industriously improved. The God 
who gave them cannot but be highly incensed should you 
bury them in the earth as a useless talent. Ah ! has it 
never occurred to you, that the neglect of the Bible, and 
of those dread realities which it unfolds, must tend to ag- 
gravate your condemnation in the day of final retribution! 
— how dark and overwhelming must be the frown, which, 
if guilty of such neglect, you must encounter from the 

46 



382 SERMON XXIII. 

judgment-seat of Christ! We can assure you, dear 
hearers, that, were the trumpet of the Archangel now 
pouring its summons on our ears, we would much rather 
take our chance for salvation with the red man of the 
west, or with the degraded inhabitants of New Holland, 
than with the wisest and most virtuous of those, who, in 
despite of Bibles and prayers and preaching, and pious 
examples, and all the nameless advantages of Chris- 
tianity, have remained careless and unconcerned with re- 
gard to the things that pertain to their future and ever- 
lasting peace. 

Finally, we would address a word of exhortation to 
parents in this assembly. The passage before us teaches 
you, that the truths of Heaven belong not only to your- 
selves, but to your children. And does not the voice of 
nature within you return an echo to the language of the 
text? Your interests and theirs you feel to be the same. 
It would do violence to all your sensibilities to think of 
separating them. If religion be valuable for you, it must 
be equally valuable for them. And if you have realized 
its power in your own souls, you must be inexpressibly 
solicitous, that they also should experience its influence, 
and enjoy its blessings. 

Do we this evening address any who have hitherto ne- 
glected the religious instruction of their offspring. If so, 
we would earnestly and affectionately entreat you, 
brethren, to omit no longer this highest of parental 
duties. We] would urge you to the prompt and as- 
siduous performance of it, by the solemn consideration, 
that you must ere long appear at the tribunal of your 
Maker, to account for all your conduct, and par- 
ticularly for your conduct towards those immortal be- 
ings, whose character and destiny have been entrusted, 
in a certain sense, to your care. What must be your 



sermon xxin. 383 

sensations, should it then be seen that you have ruined 
not only yourselves, but your children 1 And how keen 
must be your anguish throughout interminable ages, 
should they, the companions of your despair, incessantly 
reproach you as the cause of their perdition as well as 
your own, and heap upon you their execrations for your 
neglect to teach them by your counsels, your example 
and your prayers, that the acquisition of the entire world 
were a poor and paltry equivalent for the loss of the 
soul ! Yes, as surely as there are degrees of suffering in 
hell, the apartment where the worm devours most 
greedily, and the fire glows most intensely, is that in 
which the parent and the child are doomed to spend 
their eternity together. 

But we turn from this heart-rending scene to one of a 
different description. We ask you, parents, how great 
must be your happiness, should you instruct your chil- 
dren in those revealed things which belong to them, and 
should your instructions, under the blessing of God, 
which you are authorized to solicit and expect, be the 
means of leading them to do all the words of the divine 
law ! Through life, they shall be the comfort and pride 
of your hearts — in death they shall administer solace to 
your minds, and smooth the pillow that receives your 
last sigh — and throughout eternity they shall be joint- 
participants with you of the rest that remaineth for the 
people of Grod. What terms can describe the ecstacy 
that marks the first meeting of parent and child in the 
regions of perfect purity and bliss! O ! could you con- 
ceive, but for a moment, the raptures of such an inter- 
view, this single conception would do more to impel you 
to the faithful discharge of the duty on which we insist, 
than the most spirit stirring-language that our feeble 
tongue can utter. 



SERMON XXIV. 

1 TIMOTHY n. 5. 

" For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man 
Christ Jesus." 

The superior excellence of Christianity as a religion 
precisely accommodated to the wants of mankind, has 
been admitted by all persons of penetration and candour. 
Yet we suspect, that the real ground of this superiority is 
not so generally understood. The distinguishing merit 
of the gospel consists, not so much in the doctrinal truths 
which it inculcates, and the ethical precepts which it de- 
livers, as in the circumstance, that these truths and these 
precepts are founded on a well- authenticated statement of 
facts, admirably fitted to illustrate and enforce them. 
Other systems of religion are either composed of fables, 
which, besides being incredible and absurd, have no re- 
lation to the conduct of human life, or else built on vision- 
ary speculations and refined discussions which have no- 
thing in them to interest and benefit the heart. Of the 
former description is the popular theology in all pagan 
countries, while to the latter class we may refer the the- 
ology (if it can be so called) of those who, in both pagan 
and Christian countries, reject the established creed, and 
undertake to theorize for themselves on the nature of the 
Divine Being, and the various duties of his intelligent 
creatures. Now, Christianity differs essentially from both 
these kinds of religion, inasmuch as it rests on real occur- 
rences highly interesting in themselves, and peculiarly 



SERMON xxiv. 385 

adapted at once to render us acquainted with our duties, 
and to urge us to their performance. Its practical influ- 
ence is identified with the moral tendency of its doctrines, 
and these doctrines, instead of coming to us in the form of 
abstract propositions, are exhibited in the shape of tangi- 
ble facts. 

Our hearers are probably now prepared to anticipate 
the remark, that the text before us points to one of those 
cardinal facts, on which it has been just said, that Chris- 
tianity is founded. We are here presented with no array 
of arguments to demonstrate the necessity of a "Media- 
tor between God and men." We are simply assured, 
that such a Mediator exists in the person of " the man 
Christ Jesus." In other portions of the inspired record 
we are furnished with a detail of various circumstances 
connected with this fact, and calculated both to render it 
sufficiently intelligible, and to invest it with the highest de- 
gree of interest. The Old and New Testaments are re- 
plete with incidents which throw the brightest historical 
splendour over the great and fundamental truth asserted 
in this passage — " There is one God, and one Mediator 
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." 

It is not our intention this morning to enter into a criti- 
cal exposition of these words. There is but a single term 
in the sentence, respecting the precise import of which 
there can be any difference of opinion. We allude to the 
original noun rendered in the common version, Mediator. 
You will not, however, understand us as intimating, that 
there is really ground for much diversity of sentiment as 
to the true meaning even of this word. Its etymology is 
sufficiently expressive of its literal signification, while its 
sense, as applied to Christ, is determined by the general 
doctrine of the inspired record in relation to the character 
and offices of this glorious personage. 



386 SERMON XXIV. 

The first truth asserted in the text, is that of the divine 
unity. There is one God. On this point, however, we 
do not propose to detain you with many observations, since 
it is obviously introduced by the inspired writer in this 
place, merely as an incidental and auxiliary proposition. 
As such we would here take the liberty of bestowing a 
transient remark upon it. — That there is one God, and 
only one God, is a truth which we are entitled to infer 
from the harmony every where discoverable in the consti- 
tution of the universe. We behold, as far as the range 
of our observation extends, a singleness of design, which 
seems to imply that the fabric of nature is the production 
of one intelligent mind. And when we reflect more ma- 
turely on the subject, we think we can discern, that there 
is a manifest absurdity in supposing the existence of two 
beings possessed of infinite perfections — two beings con- 
cerning whom it may be affirmed, that they are both the 
alpha and the omega, the first and the last, the greatest, 
the wisest, and the best. But after all, we must concede, 
that the deductions of reason on this point, do not yield 
to the mind the same satisfaction which flows from the 
clear and positive assurances of revelation. We would 
cheerfully exchange a thousand metaphysical arguments 
for one well-established and conclusive declaration, such 
as we have in the text. 

There are those who imagine, that the mediation of Je- 
sus Christ, as generally held by Christians, is at variance 
with the unity of the Supreme Being. Now, we are bold 
to say, that this is altogether a misapprehension of the 
matter. We deny, in explicit terms, that the idea of a 
plurality of divine essences is involved in the common 
method of understanding and explaining the mediation 
of the Son of God. The advocates of this method believe 
that there is — that there can be — but one Deity. Yes, 



SERMON xxiv. 387 

and they believe this as strictly as do any of those who 
would advance, by the assumption of an appropriate ap- 
pellation, an exclusive title to the doctrine of the divine 
unity. While they acknowledge their inability to com- 
prehend how God can be both one and three, they feel 
themselves under the necessity either of admitting that 
such is the fact, or else of rejecting the sacred Scriptures 
as unworthy of their credence or regard. Their ingenuity 
can suggest to them no other alternative. 

But the truth on which we would mainly remark, is, 
that " there is one Mediator between God and men, the 
man Christ Jesus." This truth, we have just said, is not 
incompatible with the doctrine of the divine unity. It is, 
therefore, properly connected, in the passage before us, 
with the assertion, that God is one. 

The appointment of Jesus Christ to officiate as a Me- 
diator between the Sovereign of the universe and the in- 
telligent inhabitants of earth, is to be viewed as the pri- 
mary and fundamental fact of Christianity. This is the 
grand basis on which all the doctrines and duties of our 
religion are founded. It was to be expected, then, that 
the opponents of the gospel would direct their strength 
against this cardinal truth. We accordingly find, that 
no peculiarity of the Christian system has been so often, 
so variously, and so resolutely assaulted, as that which 
relates to the necessity and the actual provision of a Me- 
diator. Let us, then, see whether reason, when modestly 
and legitimately interrogated on the subject, has any thing 
to urge against this distinguishing doctrine of the New 
Testament. 

It has been well observed by one of the master spirits 
of the former century, that the whole analogy of nature, 
ins tead of furnishing a presumption against the general 
notion of a Mediator between God and men, is calculated 



3g8 SERMON XXIV. 

to confirm such notion. " We find," says the author al- 
luded to, " that all living creatures are brought into the 
world, and their life in infancy is preserved by the instru- 
mentality of others; and that every satisfaction of it, some 
way or other, is bestowed by the like means." The So- 
vereign of the universe, then, evidently conducts the affairs 
of his stupendous empire through the instrumentality of 
others. He carries on his vast system of government not 
immediately but mediately. There is not a single depart- 
ment of creation with which we have had an opportunity 
of becoming acquainted, where we do not behold the 
plans of the invisible Deity developed, and his designs 
accomplished, through the medium of subordinate agents. 
This is the case in both the physical and the moral world. 
Now, if the principle of mediation thus obtains to the ut- 
most verge of our observation, we are surely warranted in 
concluding, that it may, and probably does obtain in those 
districts of nature which lie beyond the sphere of our ob- 
servation. 

And, brethren, when we look calmly and seriously at 
our present condition, have we not reason to believe that 
unless we are saved through the instrumentality of a Me- 
diator, we shall not be saved at all ? We know, that 
since we became capable of moral action, we have repeat- 
edly violated the divine law. We feel, that our conduct 
has been opposed to the dictates of an internal monitor 
which at once prescribes our duty, and reproaches us for 
the violation of it. We are moreover sensible, that mise- 
ry is the inevitable consequence of sin. Our own personal 
observation and experience are amply sufficient to con- 
vince us, that pain and suffering of various kinds and de- 
grees, are annexed as inseparable concomitants to a tenor 
of deportment at variance with the admonitions of consci- 
ence. In short, we are aware, that we have incurred the 



SERMON xxiv. 389 

displeasure of our Maker, and cannot banish the gloomy 
apprehension, that death may summon us to his presence 
to be tried as culprits, and then consigned to everlasting 
wretchedness and despair. Such is our situation. And 
how are we to obtain deliverance ? Are we competent to 
save ourselves ? Surely not. For what can be more evi- 
dent, than that if we have once offended the Deity, no 
after services — no subsequent conformity to his will — can 
invest us with a title to his favour, unless, indeed, it were 
possible for our obedience to rise above our obligations, 
and thus constitute an overplus of merit — an extra fund 
of goodness — which we might draw on for the absolution 
of our former transgressions ? We have often said, that 
between subscribing to the monstrous doctriue of super- 
erogation, and conceding that no human being can stand 
at the divine bar on the footing of his own deserts, there 
is not, so far as we can perceive, any alternative. It fol- 
lows clearly and conclusively, that the only refuge for hu- 
man offenders is in the clemency of the Most High. The 
question, then, must arise, Will the dread Being whose 
law we have broken, and against whose authority we 
have risen in virtual rebellion, condescend to pardon our 
trespasses ? We know, that his benevolence is unbounded; 
for the whole frame of nature is refulgent with the living 
lustre of this divine attribute. But do we know, that it is 
fitting for the Deity, consistently with his character as a 
moral governor, exercising a supreme regard to the purity 
and general happiness of the universe which he has made, 
to forgive the transgressors of his law ? Is he not just, 
as well as good? And does not reason, therefore, render 
it highly probable, that some plan must be devised by 
which his justice may be satisfied, before he can extend 
his pardoning mercy to guilty men ? Now the execution 
of such a plan would require instrumentality of some sort. 

47 



390 SERMON XXIV. 

It could not take place without a suitable apparatus of 
means. And surely the expedient most likely to prove 
effectual, would be for a personage of sufficient dignity 
and influence to lend his friendly offices in procuring a 
reconciliation, on proper terms, between the Sovereign of 
the universe and his offending subjects. 

We come, then, to the conclusion, that a mediation of 
some kind between God and men is necessary to redeem 
our fallen race from impending destruction. There is 
here, as in all other respects, the closest and most striking 
analogy between natural and revealed religion. The 
Christian system beautifully coincides with the universal 
plan of providence. The doctrine of the New Testa- 
ment, in relation to a Mediator, involves the same prin- 
ciple, which pervades, so far as we can discern, the entire 
economy of the divine administration, and forms its most 
distinctive feature. 

We proceed to remark, that it is not enough for us to 
know, that a mediation of some kind is necessary to our 
salvation. A more important item of knowledge is to be 
assured, that an adequate mediation has, in fact, been 
provided. And for this information we are indebted 
wholly to the sacred Scriptures. They, and they alone, 
impart the valuable intelligence, that there is constituted 
in the universe a system of means — an apparatus of 
agencies — for conferring upon us the pardon of sin. In 
short, they announce, that Jesus Christ has, in pursuance 
of his Father's appointment, and his own acceptance of 
the office, become a Mediator between God and men. 

We do not propose, on the present occasion, to lay be- 
fore you a detailed view of the character and offices of 
this Mediator. We shall merely remark, in general 
terms, that he is represented in the sacred Scriptures, as 
at once God and man — a partaker in personal unity of 



SERMON XXIV. 391 

4wo distinct natures, the divine and human — one who by 
his intimate relation to both parties, might, with peculiar 
propriety, stand in the gap, if we may so speak, between 
sinners and their offended Sovereign. He is also des- 
cribed as submitting to a life of humiliation, and a death 
of exquisite anguish, in order to remove any obstacles 
which the justice of heaven had interposed to the forgive- 
ness of human culprits. He is further exhibited as arising 
from the dead to demonstrate the efficacy of his mediato- 
rial work ; and as returning to heaven, not to lay aside the 
gracious office which he had assumed, but to continue the 
execution of it by appearing as our Advocate with the 
Father — our all-prevalent Intercessor before the mercy- 
seatof Jehovah. He is now able to save, and that to the very 
uttermost, all who come unto God by him. In him there 
is plenteous redemption for guilty men. His blood 
cleanseth from all sin ; and his grace is sufficient for any 
exigencies of those who trust in him. There is no offence 
which he cannot pardon — no evil which he cannot re- 
move — no affliction which he cannot alleviate. He sits 
upon his mediatorial throne, creating all things new — 
sending forth his Spirit to hush the tumults of a disorder- 
ed world — displaying the power of his grace in the re- 
surrection to immortal life, of beings dead in trespasses 
and sins. In a word, it is his province to rescue human 
offenders from the degradation and wo to which sin, if 
nnexpiated, must reduce the soul, and raise them to a 
condition of honour and felicity superior in some respects, 
even to that which the unfallen spirits of Paradise enjoy. 
There is another important truth involved in the text, 
to which, in the last place, we would ask your attention. 
When the apostle says, that "there is one Mediator 
between God and men," he must be understood as im- 
plying, that there is no other; just as when he says, that 



392 SERMON XXIV. 

u there is one god," his object plainly is to assert the 
absolute unity of the divine essence. 

The Scriptures expressly assure us, that Jesus Christ 
is the only Saviour of sinners. They unequivocally de- 
clare, that other foundation for the immortal hopes of the 
human soul than he, has not been laid, and cannot be 
laid. 

And yet the only Mediator between God and men is, 
in many instances, rejected and even dispised by those, 
in behalf of whom his friendly offices were performed. 
Yes, it is a truth which admits of no denial, that the 
gospel, notwithstanding its peculiar adaptation to the exi- 
gencies of mankind, meets with a reception in the world 
by no means suited to its merits. One whom experience 
and observation had not convinced of the fact, could 
hardly prevail on himself to believe, that a system of 
religion so admirably calculated to promote the highest 
interests of man, would be undervalued and repulsed by 
the majority of those to whom it was proposed. We 
have frequently referred to the anecdote of Melancthon, 
who commenced the work of the ministry with the san- 
guine expectation, that he should be able to exhibit the 
nature and the claims of the gospel in such a light as to 
ensure its universal acceptance. The excellence of 
Christianity appeared to him so decided, and its requisi- 
tions so reasonable, that, with the characteristic enthu- 
siasm of youth, he did not for a moment doubt, that all 
obstacles would vanish at his touch, and that the unani- 
mous exclamation of his hearers would be, " What must 
we do to be saved?" But a few experiments served to 
convince him, that he had been indulging an unsubstan- 
tial day-dream, and forced him to acknowledge, that old 
Adam was too strong for young Melancthon. 

And here let it be understood, that when we speak of 



sermon xxiv. 393 

the rejection of the one Mediator between God and men, 
we allude not merely to those who are professed infidels, 
but to all who do not receive Jesus Christ truly and prac- 
tically as their only Saviour. Where Christianity is 
nominally or virtually the established religion, the great 
mass of the community yield a tacit and an inoperative as- 
sent to its doctrines. But the form of godliness is one thing; 
its power is another thing. "The picture of a man," says an 
energetic writer on this point, " is not a man. The mere pro- 
fessor of a religion, in the speculative belief of which we 
have been educated, and with whose forms of worship we 
have been familiar from our earliest years, is utterly insuffi- 
cient to entitle us to the benefits of Christ's mediation. 
In short, the distinction between nominal and real piety, 
is an essential and immutable one. Now, in the view of 
this distinction we may surely affirm, that numbers in 
Christian lands reject the great and only Mediator. Yes, 
and may we not apprehend, that there are those even in 
this assembly who thus act? To conscience, dear hearers, 
we appeal. Tell us, is it not a fact, that while you ad- 
mit the gospel to be a revelation from heaven, prescribing 
your present duties and unfolding your future destinies, 
you live as if it were all a system of imposture? How 
miserable is your condition ! You dwell on the banks of 
the river of salvation, without attempting to taste its lim- 
pid stream. You repose under the shadow of the tree 
of life, without making an effort to grasp its golden fruits. 
But why is it that any thus reject the one Mediator 
between God and men ? How are we to account for con- 
duct, which, on the first glance, bears all the marks of 
fatuity and insanity ? Does it proceed from an utter in- 
difference to the sublime blessings which the gospel pro- 
mises to mankind beyond the grave? In some instances 
it possibly may; but generally it results from the hope, 



394 SERMON XXIV. 

that a shorter and an easier method of obtaining those 
blessings may be discovered, than that which the New 
Testament prescribes. The rejectors of Christianity for- 
sake the fountain of living waters; but then they hew out 
for themselves cisterns elsewhere. They refuse to sub- 
mit to the righteousness of God; but then they go about 
to establish their own righteousness. They are anxious 
that the leprosy of their moral nature should be cured ; 
but then, instead of resorting to the simple and unfailing 
remedy which the Bible suggests, they exclaim, "Are 
not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than 
all the waters of Israel? May we not wash in them, and 
be clean ?" In a word, they substitute in the room of 
the Christian scheme, some mode of securing the divine 
favour, which is more conformable to their own views and 
wishes. 

Time will not permit us to to attempt a particular ex- 
amination of the various religious systems embraced by 
those who reject the one Mediator between God and men. 
A leading error in all these systems is, that they involve 
an undue reliance on the general benevolence of the 
Deity, or on the intrinsic merit of moral virtues, or on 
both. Some imagine that God is a being whose mercy 
is so unlimited, that he cannot render any of his crea- 
tures eternally miserable. They, therefore, indulge the 
hope, that they may live as they list, and yet attain hap- 
piness after death. Others deem it unsafe to trust to the 
mere compassion of their Maker, but suppose that a life 
of rectitude — a careful observance of the dictates of the 
moral sense — can hardly fail to entitle them to his ap- 
probation. Many of these individuals, so far from pro- 
fessing to reject the gospel, are often loud and eloquent in 
its praise. They pronounce it incomparably the best 
code of ethical precepts that has ever been formed, and 



sermon xxiv. 395 

assure us, that without conformity to its requisitions, they 
have no hope of salvation. The question might here oc- 
cur, Does their conduct exhibit, in all respects, that ele- 
vated and stern morality which their doctrine would seem 
to demand ? But we forbear to press such an interroga- 
tory. Let us not be too inquisitive. We would not impute 
to them any thing like inconsistency. Others again, de- 
pend for future felicity, not altogether either on the divine 
clemency, or their own merits, but on the two conjoined. 
They conceive that if they obey, so far as the imperfec- 
tions of their present state will permit, the voice of con- 
science, which is the voice of God, their occasional fail- 
ings will be forgiven by the merciful Potentate who governs 
the universe. This, perhaps, is substantially the scheme 
embraced by the larger portion of those who do not sub- 
mit to the terms of the gospel. 

Now, a grand and conclusive objection to these, and, 
indeed, to all other plans of salvation substituted in the 
room of Christ's mediation, is, that they are the mere crea- 
tures of human invention. No testimony of heaven can 
be adduced in their support. They are not enforced by 
those authoritative words " Thus saith the Lord." And 
surely on a subject which so nearly concerns his own ho- 
nour, and the peace and happiness of his universe, God 
has an indubitable right to be heard. Who will deny to 
him the prerogative of prescribing the mode in which we 
may obtain reconciliation with him ? And is it not most 
consonant with the benignity of his nature to imagine that 
he would condescend to reveal to us some safe and suffi- 
cient method of restoration to his favour ? It is certainly 
not to be presumed, that he would leave us to grope our 
way through the darkness that here surrounds us, and 
send us no messenger from on high to instruct, to guide, 
and to save us. Thus thought one of the wisest and most 



39 (> SERMON XXIV. 

virtuous of the ancient heathen, and every reflecting mind 
must adopt the same opinion. 

Brethren, the subject to which we have called your at- 
tention this morning, is not a mere matter of speculation. 
It is a topic fraught with the deepest practical importance. 
The fact of Christ's mediation, which constitutes the car- 
dinal doctrine of the gospel, is directly calculated to in- 
cite us to the exercise of faith, which is the cardinal duty 
of the gospel. And in this we have a striking example 
of what was remarked in the commencement of our dis- 
course as the distinguishing excellence of Christianity. 
The doctrines of no other religion have the same tendency 
to form in those who may receive them, a temper and dis- 
position such as God approves. It has been pointedly 
asked, " Which of the adventures of Jupiter, Brama, or 
Osiris, could be urged as a powerful motive to excite a 
high moral feeling, or produce a high moral action ?" But 
in the Christian religion " the doctrines tally with the 
precepts, and contain in their very substance some urgent 
motives for the performance of them." 

The doctrine of Christ's mediation, then, has a natural 
and necessary tendency to produce and foster in those 
who understand and receive it, that peculiar operative 
feeling of soul which the sacred Scriptures denominate 
faith. It implies our own utter inability to save ourselves, 
and compels us to rely for salvation solely on the inter- 
position of another. And what is such reliance but faith? 
The connexion between the doctrine and the duty is as 
obvious as it is intimate. 

And here allow us, dear hearers, to inquire, whether 
you have secured by the exercise of faith, an interest in 
the one Mediator between God and men. Some of you, 
we trust, have, aud to such we would recommend the stu- 
dy and imitation of the divine nature, as revealed in the 



sermon xxiv. 397 

person of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the image of the 
invisible God. It becomes you, therefore, to be followers 
of him as dear children. Strive to possess a portion of 
the same mind that was in him. Believe us, you can ne- 
ver be qualified to enjoy the happiness which he has pro- 
cured for his saints, until you resemble him in all the es- 
sential traits of his moral character. Like him you must 
be active and cheerful in doing the will — the whole will 
— of your Father in heaven. Like him, you must culti- 
vate a mild, placid, and forgiving temper. Like him, you 
must make it your primary business to do good during 
your stay on earth — to be useful in your day and genera- 
tion. In a word, you must contemplate his entire life as 
an examplar, by copying which you are to become fit for 
the presence and the enjoyment of God. Christian bre- 
thren, an exhortation such as we are now addressing to 
you, is at all times important. But it is particularly so, 
when you contemplate a speedy approach to the table of 
our Lord. This ordinance can be of no benefit to you, 
except so far as it expresses the real feelings of your souls, 
and is a token of your reliance for future bliss on the me- 
diation of Jesus Christ You must observe it in faith, 
and no evidence of the genuineness of faith is at all satis- 
factory, except that which consists in a life devoted to the 
service of God. Hence says the apostle, " Let a man 
examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, aud 
drink of that cup," 

But are there not those in this assembly, who are with- 
out an interest in the one Mediator between God and 
men? Some who may truly say of themselves in the lan- 
guage of Job, " Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, 
that might lay his hand upon us both ?" And are you 
content, dear hearers, to continue in this awful predica- 

48 



398 SERMON XXIV. 

ment? — thus unreconciled to your Maker? — thus exposed 
to the wrath of that dread Being, who is able to destroy 
both soul and body in hell ? O ! tell us, have you no de- 
sire to be sheltered from the curse of an offended Deity ? 
Is peace of conscience a trivial blessing ? Do you esteem 
tranquillity and resignation in the hour of death an unim- 
portant attainment? Has eternal misery nothing in it to 
alarm you? and eternal happiness nothing to allure? 
We entreat you to reject no longer the Saviour whom the 
gospel reveals. The man Christ Jesus this day tenders 
to you his friendly offices as a Mediator between you and 
Jehovah. Believe us, should you decline to accept them, 
you must perish for ever. We have already told you, that 
you can devise no method of reinstating yourselves in the 
favour of God, which will bear one moment's comparison 
with the revelation of the New Testament. — But, perhaps, 
you tell us, that you fully approve the gospel plan, and 
are determined to embrace, at some future day, its merci- 
ful provisions. What, is this the resolution of beings, 
whose breath is in their nostrils ! — whose life is a span ! 
— whose days are as the grass of the field! Is it possi- 
ble that they who cannot calculate with absolute certainty 
on a single hour, should yet venture on an indefinite post- 
ponement of a matter, with which the hopes and the in- 
terests of eternity are linked ? O ! can it be, that man, 
the proud possessor of rationality, should act a part so 
fraught with folly and delusion ! Ah! it is all too true. 
Such is the deceitfulness of the human heart, that the 
dictates of reason and the warnings of conscience are alike 
unheeded, when the allurements and fascinations of the 
world flaunt before the sinner's eye. — Infatuated men! 
hearken for once to the sober voice of wisdom. The mes- 
sage which we deliver to you, demands your prompt at- 



sermon xxiv. 399 

tention. You have not a moment to lose. Death is at 
hand. Your all is at stake. Wo be to the individual who 
persists in rejecting the one and only Mediator between 
God and men ! He may be spared for a little while, but 
his term of impunity will assuredly come to an end. 
The divine forbearance has its limit. To-day is the ac- 
cepted time, and the day of salvation. 



SERMON XXV. 

EXODUS XX. 8, 9, 10, 11. 

" Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and 
do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in 
it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy 
man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is 
within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea 
and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord 
blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." 

We shall attempt this evening, first, to show that the 
Sabbath is a divine institution of perpetual obligation, 
and secondly, to illustrate the importance of this institu- 
tion to the temporal and eternal interests of man. — An 
extensive field is before us ; but we shall endeavour to be 
as brief as may be consistent with a satisfactory discus- 
sion of the subject. 

It is well known, that the perpetuity of the Sabbath 
has been denied by many. Several Christian sects have 
assumed this ground as one of their peculiarities. And 
Dr. Paley — distinguished for his popular manner of 
treating every subject which he has discussed — devotes a 
whole chapter of his work on Moral and Political Philo- 
sophy, to an endeavour to make it appear, that the com- 
mand by which the observance of a Sabbath was enjoin- 
ed on the ancient Jews, is not obligatory on Chris- 
tians. That this opinion is erroneous will be evident, we 
think, from a few considerations which we shall now 
proceed to state. 



SERMON XXV. 40 1 

And first, we refer to the fact, that the precept which 
enjoins the observance of the Sabbath, forms a part of the 
Decalogue. It is incorporated in the great code of moral 
duties, and must, therefore, be presumed to be of per- 
petual obligation. If the fourth commandment has be- 
come obsolete, what ground have we for supposing, that 
a similar fate may not have befallen the other command- 
ments ? 

Again, that the precept which enjoins the observance 
of the Sabbath, was not designed for the Israelites alone, 
appears from the very terms in which it was promulgated; 
for it was expressly extended to " the stranger that was 
within their gates," that is, to the heathen who was 
deemed an alien from the covenant of God, and was, 
therefore, debarred from the privileges of any ceremonial 
institution. 

Further, we contend that the Sabbath was instituted 
by God, and observed by men, long before the Jewish 
nation had an existence. Does not Moses, in the begin- 
ning of the second chapter of Genesis, tell us, that the 
almighty Architect, after finishing the stupendous work 
of creation in six days, rested on the seventh day, and 
blessed and sanctified it? Now, we would ask, what can 
such language mean, if it does not imply, that a certain 
day of the week was then set apart for sabbatical obser- 
vance ? But we are told, that the sacred historian has re- 
lated no instance, in which the Sabbath was observed, 
till the arrival of the emancipated Israelites at the wilder- 
ness of Sin. We might answer, that this is a mere omis- 
sion from which no inference can be fairly drawn. We 
think, however, that the Scriptures do not exhibit that 
total silence on this point which some have attributed to 
them. In the fourth chapter of Genesis is the following 
passage: "In process of time, it came to pass that 



402 SERMON XXV. 

Cain brought an offering to the Lord." That this offer- 
ing was an act of divine worship, will be admitted. Now, 
we are informed, that the offering was presented "in 
process of time." To this phrase thus rendered, no de- 
terminate meaning can be attached. But if we adopt the 
marginal reading, which is doubtless the true one, the 
words become intelligible, and would seem to refer to the 
observance of the Sabbath. " At the end of days it 
came to pass, that Cain brought an offering unto the 
Lord." We understand the expression " end of days," as 
denoting the termination of the week, and consequently as 
implying, that the offering of Cain was presented on the 
Sabbath. 

It is alleged, that the change which the Sabbath has 
undergone from the seventh to the first day of the week, 
is incompatible with the idea of its perpetuity. As much 
stress has been laid upon this circumstance, we shall ex- 
amine it somewhat in detail. 

None, we presume, will deny, that it was competent 
for Him who instituted the Sabbath in the first instance, 
to introduce the change in question. We admit, indeed, 
that there is no positive command for this change in the 
New Testament. But in the absence of such command, 
we have, what is scarcely less satisfactory, the example 
of our Lord, and that of his apostles and disciples, in con- 
nexion with the general practice of Christians in all sub- 
sequent periods. 

First, we have the example of our Lord himself. In 
the nineteenth verse of the twentieth chapter of John, we 
read, " Then the same day at evening, being the first 
day of the week, when the doors were shut where the 
disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came 
Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace 
be unto you." And from the twenty-sixth verse of the 



SERMON XXV. 403 

same chapter, we learn that on the first day of the week 
immediately following, Jesus paid a similar visit to his 
assembled friends. 

Again, we have the example of the apostles and first 
disciples. We have just seen two instances in which they 
convened on the first day of the week. Others may also be 
adduced. Thus the day of Pentecost, so glorious in the 
annals of the church, was the first day of the week. We 
likewise read of the disciples coming together on the first 
day of the week to break bread, when Paul, who intend- 
ed to leave them on the morrow, continued his discourse 
till midnight. Nor must we omit to refer to a passage 
of the first Epistle to the Corinthians, where the apostle 
directs that collections for the saints be taken up on the 
first day of every week, stating that he had issued a simi- 
lar order to the churches of Galatia. 

Such, then, was the practice of the apostles. And that 
their example was followed by the whole Christian com- 
munity, is a fact, respecting which there can be no dis- 
pute. Now, we may readily couceive, that the prejudices 
of the Jewish converts in favour of the Sabbath to which 
they had been accustomed from their infancy, were so in- 
veterate that nothing could have induced them to observe 
the first day of the week as the season of holy rest, but a 
well-founded conviction that there was sufficient authority 
for the change. Indeed, the more rigid of them continued, 
for many years, to honour both the old and the new Sab- 
bath, thinking that thus they could not possibly err. 

Brethren, we would next inquire, whether it was not 
proper, that the new dispensation introduced by our di- 
vine Lord, should be distinguished by a change of the 
Sabbath ? And was it not fit that his resurrection from 
the dead, which took place on the first day of the week, 
should become the era of such change? Surely an event 



404 SERMON XXV. 

so glorious in itself, and so important in its consequences, 
deserved to be celebrated with religious solemnity to the 
end of time. Now, what more appropriate mode could 
be devised for the celebration of this event, than the sab- 
batical observance of the day on which it occurred ? This 
consideration too acquires additional force, when we re- 
collect, that the Redeemer is styled more than once in the 
New Testament, " The Lord of the Sabbath." As God, 
he had instituted the ancient Sabbath, and was, therefore, 
competent to change it. We may add, that the author of 
the Apocalypse denominates the Sabbath the Lord's day 
— language which would seem to imply its institution by 
the authority of Christ. 

We have thus far pursued our argument on the suppo- 
sition, that the first day of the week had never been ob- 
served as a Sabbath till after the resurrection of Christ. 
But there are not wanting reasons for the opinion, that 
this was the day uniformly observed from the creation till 
the arrival of the Israelites in the wilderness of Sin, when 
a temporary change to the last day of the week was made 
by the authority of Heaven. We are aware, that this opinion 
conflicts with a well known answer in our Shorter Cate- 
chism. But while we would pay all due deference to the 
judgment of those who framed the formularies of our 
Church, we shall never relinquish the right of thinking 
for ourselves in relation to all religious subjects. We are 
far from imagining, that any creeds, catechisms, and litur- 
gies are infallible. We look upon them just as we con- 
template other human productions ; remembering too, that 
they were formed at a period in which the facilities for 
exploring scriptural truth were much inferior to those 
which we now enjoy. 

The works of creation were completed in six days, and 
on the seventh the Almighty rested from his labour. Now, 



SERMON XXV. 405 

this day, which was set apart for sabbatical observance, 
being the first whole day of Adam's life, would be the 
era from which he would naturally begin his computation 
of time, and would, therefore, be the first day of his week. 
The first entire day of his existence he was commanded 
to offer as a species of first-fruits to his God. The day 
was certainly the seventh from the creation ; but it was 
probably reckoned as the first day of the week. 

That the primaeval Sabbath was the first and not the 
last day of the week, might be inferred from the fact, that 
when mankind forsook the worship of the true God, the 
recollection of this day was preserved, and mingled itself 
with their superstitions. They continued to observe the 
first day of the week as a season for religious solemnities. 
In general, it was devoted to the idolatrous worship of the 
Sun, and was, therefore, called Sunday. The same ob- 
servance of the first day of the week still prevails among 
the heathen nations of the East. 

The argument arising from the fact which we have just 
mentioned, is undoubtedly a cogent one. The hebdoma- 
dal, or weekly division of time, not being indicated by 
any natural phenomenon, is purely artificial. And yet 
this division has existed from the earliest ages of which 
we have historical record, and is found to be co-extensive 
with the diffusion of the human species. Now, may we 
not demand, whence could this arbitrary division of time 
have arisen, except from the original institution of the 
Sabbath immediately after the creation ? This circum- 
stance, we think, sufficiently refutes the opinion of those 
who consider the Sabbath as a peculiarity of the Mosaic 
ritual, while the general observance throughout the world, 
of the first day of the week, as a season for religious ce- 
remonies of some sort, would seem to demonstrate that the 
primitive Sabbath corresponded with that day. 

49 



406 



SERMON XXV. 



We have intimated, that the Sabbath was changed 
from the first to the last day of the week, on the arrival 
of the Jews in the wilderness of Sin. In proof of this as- 
sertion we appeal to the sixteenth chapter of Exodus, 
where several remarkable circumstances are recorded. 
The manna on which the Israelites subsisted during their 
pilgrimage from Egypt to Canaan, began to fall from hea- 
ven for their support soon after they reached the wilder- 
ness just mentioned. They were supplied each night with 
precisely enough for the ensuing day, and were expressly 
forbidden to lay by any portion of it. Indeed it became 
unfit for use and offensive, if kept for the space of twenty- 
four hours. Yet a singular exception presented itself. On 
the morning of the sixth day of the week double the usual 
quantity of manna was found lying on the ground. The 
people, surprized at an occurrence so wholly unexpected, 
went to Moses to inquire what it could mean. He told 
them, that the next day would be their Sabbath, on which 
it would be unlawful for them to gather the miraculous 
food, and that God had, therefore, furnished them with 
sufficient to last for two days. They accordingly found, 
that the manna could be readily preserved during the sixth 
night of the week. Now from this whole transaction, 
some have drawn the inference, that the Sabbath was pre- 
viously unknown to the Israelites. It has been thought, 
that their ignorance in respect to the reason why they had 
received a double allowance of food on the sixth day, to- 
gether with the manner in which Moses then enjoined on 
them the religious observance of the seventh, can hardly 
be accounted for on any other supposition. We admit, 
indeed, that if the Jews had always been accustomed to 
observe the seventh day of the week as a Sabbath, their 
slowness of comprehension in this affair of the manna was 
rather strange. But if we suppose, that the first day of 



SERMON XXV. 407 

the week had been their original Sabbath, which was now 
changed to the seventh, the difficulty vanishes. 

Is it asked why the change which we suppose to have 
taken place with regard to the Sabbath was introduced ? 
We answer, for two obvious reasons. One of which was 
to distinguish the Israelites from the surrounding pagan 
nations, who, as we have said, celebrated the idolatrous 
worship of the sun on the first day of the week. Another 
was to commemorate the deliverance of the Jews from 
Egyptian bondage, which might be considered as occur- 
ring on the seventh day. And hence in the repetition of 
the ten commandments which we find in the book of Deu- 
teronomy, the observance of the Sabbath is enforced by 
the following consideration : " Remember that thou wast 
a servant in Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought 
thee out thence through a mighty hand, and by a stretch- 
ed-out arm ; therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee 
to keep the Sabbath day." Hence also the Jewish Sab- 
bath was denominated a sign. The rest which it afford- 
ed them, was emblematical of their emancipation from 
servitude. 

Now, if the first day of the week had been the primi- 
tive Sabbath, it was unnecessary for our Lord to give his 
apostles and disciples an express command for the reli- 
gious observance of that day. By his resurrection, the 
Mosaic economy was abrogated, and the Sabbath, as a 
matter of course, would revert to the original day. 

Christians! what dignity does the view which we have 
here taken of this subject, confer on your Sabbath ! You 
celebrate the day on which your Creator rested from his 
works, while the morning stars sang together, and all the 
sons of God shouted for joy. You also celebrate the day 
on which your Redeemer, having completed the sacrifice 
of your redemption, arose in triumph from the tomb, and 



408 SERMON XXV. 

manifested his victory over the powers and principalities 
of darkness. Your Sabbath and the patriarchal are the 
same. In short, the day which you observe, is rendered 
illustrious by the two most memorable events in the annals 
of time — the creation and the redemption of the world. 
We may add, that such seems to be the purport of the 
apostle's argument in his Epistle to the Hebrews, where 
he says, " There remaineth therefore a rest for the people 
of God : For he (Jesus) that is entered into his rest, he 
also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from 
his." Nor is it unworthy of remark, that so early a 
writer as Justin Martyr, has expressly said, that the first 
day of the week was, in his time, universally observed as 
a Sabbath, because it was the day in which God finished 
the work of creation, and in which Jesus Christ our Sa- 
viour arose from the dead. Such is the language of a 
writer who lived in the second century, and who, there- 
fore, may be presumed to have been acquainted with the 
opinion of the apostles, so far, at least, as tradition had 
preserved it. 

We shall enlarge no further on the first head of our 
discourse, which was to show that the Sabbath is a di- 
vine institution of perpetual obligation. 

We proposed, in the next place, to illustrate the ad- 
vantages that result from the sabbatical institution. " The 
Sabbath," said our Lord on one occasion, " was made 
for man." It was designed to promote his happiness. 
Let us, then, inquire in what respect it conduces to this 
end. And first, we shall endeavour to point out, some- 
what in detail, the importance of the Sabbath viewed as a 
merely civil institution. 

The term Sabbath, as almost every one knows, is of 
Hebrew origin, and, in its verbal form, signifes to rest. 
The first aspect, then, under which the Sabbath presents 



SERMON XXV. 409 

itself, is that of a day of rest — a day in which a general 
suspension of the secular occupations and pursuits of men 
takes place. Bishop Porteus adverting to this point, thus 
expresses himself: " There cannot be a more pleasing, or 
a more consolatory idea presented to the human mind, 
than that of one universal pause of labour, throughout the 
whole Christian world, at the same moment of time; dif- 
fusing rest, comfort and peace through a large part of the 
habitable globe, and affording ease and refreshment, not 
only to the lowest part of our species, but to our fellow 
labourers in the brute creation. Even these are enabled 
to join in this silent act of adoration, this mute kind of 
homage to the Lord of all; and although they are incapa- 
ble of any sentiment of religion, yet by this means they 
become sharers in the blessings of it. Every man of the 
least sensibility must see, must feel the beauty and utility 
of such an institution as this." 

That a weekly interruption of the regular business of 
life is of immense advantage to man, whatever may be the 
particular sphere in which he moves — whether he is a 
master or a servant, a philosopher or a mechanic — is a 
truth, so obvious in itself, that it can hardly be 
rendered more evident by reasoning. Rest and re- 
creation are necessary both to the body and the mind. 
By unremitting exertion, the physical and the mental 
faculties become alike jaded and enervated. The indi- 
vidual whose avidity in the acquisition of wealth, causes 
him to esteem the frequent recurrence of the Sabbath, an 
unreasonable and oppressive tax upon his time, is blind 
to his own secular, as well as spiritual interests. The 
fifty two days of the year, which he sets down as lost, 
furnish, in a manner not the less real for being impercep- 
tible, a quota by no means inconsiderable to the whole 
quantum of his annual profits. The institution of which 



410 



SERMON XXV. 



he complains, is necessary to recruit his own exhausted 
energies, and likewise the exhausted energies of those, on 
whose co-operation, whether they be immediately in his 
employment or not, his success must, in a greater or less 
degree, depend, and to prepare both him and them for a 
more vigorous prosecution of their daily pursuits. With- 
out this institution, then, he would be neither as healthy 
nor as rich as he is. And although he imagines that the 
day of rest returns too often, experience, an infallible 
guide, has decided otherwise. During the French revo- 
lution, when quite as much antipathy was manifested 
towards morals and religion, as towards kings and nobles, 
a reformation of the calender was proposed and adpoted,* 
in which a decimal division of the week was substituted 
for the hebdomadal. But it was soon ascertained, that 
the philosophers who thought the recurrence of a Sabbath 
in every period of ten days, preferable to the appointment 
of Heaven, were mistaken. They had miscalculated the 
exigencies of humanity. The event showed, that they 
did not know the precise interval between labour and 
rest which man requires, as accurately as his Maker. 

Another general advantage of the Sabbath, in a civil 
point of view, has been pointed out by some writers, par- 
ticularly Dr. D wight. We allude to its tendency to pro- 
mote cleanliness of person, neatness of dress, and refine- 
ment of manners, especially among the poorer classes of 
society. We shall not, however, enlarge on these topics, 
but proceed to consider the importance of the Sabbath as 
a day on which assemblies are held for communication 
of instruction in relation to the primary duties of human 
life. 

We shall assume, then, that the purposes for which men 

* October the 25th, 1793. 



SERMON XXV. 411 

convene on the Sabbath are simply of a moral kind. We 
do not add that they are of a religious character, because 
though we are well aware, that the peculiar excellence 
of the Christian morality may be shown to result from its 
intimate connexion with religion, yet as it is not neces- 
sary to our present argument to point out this connexion, 
we are willing to asssume that the instruction dispensed 
every week from the pulpit, is purely of an ethical nature. 
Now, contemplating the subject in this light, we are per- 
suaded, that the Sabbath, with its appendages of solemn 
assemblies, and stated instructions on moral topics, has 
contributed more certainly and effectually than any thing 
else, to the improvement of our race. It has been justly 
remarked, that the non-existence of any similar institution 
among the ancient Greeks and Romans, was a principal 
cause of that licentiousness, to which, notwithstanding 
their attainments in science, literature and the fine arts, 
they were so generally addicted. 

That the advantages accruing to every Christian com- 
munity from the Sabbath, are great, will appear, if we 
consider that the instruction dispensed is both consider- 
able in amount, and valuable in kind, and is moreover 
furnished on the lowest terms. 

The instruction of the pulpit is considerable in amount; 
this is an obvious truth — a plain matter of fact which all 
will admit. But let us make it still more evident, if pos- 
sible, by a little detail. On every Sabbath the preacher 
arises, either once or twice, and occasionally thrice, to 
address a company of hearers on their duties to their 
Maker, their fellow men and themselves. The discourse 
which he delivers, is from thirty to sixty minutes in 
length. Now, a discourse in the delivery of which a 
speaker — who pays due attention to emphasis and pause 
— occupies thirty minutes, will, we presume, fill not less 



412 SERMON XXV. 

than thirteen pages, of the octavo form, printed with type 
of the common size. So that the minister who preaches 
but once on the Sabbath, and whose addresses are only 
thirty minutes long, will produce in the course of the year, 
an octavo volume of six or seven hundred pages. If his 
discourses are sixty minutes in length, he will of course, 
produce, in the same period, two volumes of that size. 
And if he preaches twice on the Sabbath, and his dis- 
courses are sixty minutes long each time, his annual pro- 
ductions will fill four octavo volumes of six or seven hun- 
dred pages each. You may, if you please, carry on this 
computation for yourselves, and estimate the number of 
similar volumes that such a preacher will produce in ten, 
twenty, thirty, or forty years, and also by having recourse 
to the requisite data, determine the aggregate amount of 
instruction communicated annually from the pulpit, by all 
the preachers in the United States, and indeed through- 
out Christendom. — We cannot conclude our remarks on 
this point, without adding, how much does the instruction 
imparted by a single preacher, in the course of the year, 
exceed, in quantity, that imparted, in the same time, by 
any one author, or by any one professor of a college ? 

But it may be said, and very justly too, that the quan- 
tity, apart from the quality of the instruction dispensed 
from the pulpit, is of little consequence. We therefore 
go on to remark, that the advantages accruing to every 
Christian community from the Sabbath, will be admitted 
to be of immense value, when we consider, that the truths 
which it brings before the public mind, not in the robes 
of science, but in the undress of familiar exposition, are 
intimately connected with the temporal, as well as with 
the eternal happiness of man. The weekly exposition 
and enforcement of a system of morality, so pure and com- 
prehensive, as that which is inculcated in the New Tes- 



SERMON XXV. 413 

tament, must exert a powerful agency in enlightening and 
improving society. The official expositors of this system 
may not be competent, in every instance, to do justice to 
its merits. They may not be able to present the truths 
of the gospel in the most interesting and imposing atti- 
tudes. They may sometimes be deficient in perspicuity, 
and often in originality. But they cannot, if they are 
honest men, possessed of common sense, and only a very 
ordinary share of erudition, so obscure and weaken the 
truths of Christianity, as to prevent these truths, when 
urged every week on the understandings and consciences 
of their hearers, from making an impression, more or less 
deep and permanent. 

If the gospel which is proclaimed throughout Christen- 
dom on every Sabbath day, be regarded simply as a sys- 
tem of ethics, all judicious and impartial men will con- 
cede, that it communicates instruction of the very highest 
order. Few infidels have refused to acknowledge, that 
the morality inculcated in the New Testament, is sublime 
in its nature, and comprehensive in its details. In no 
other volume, are the great and various duties of man ex- 
hibited with so much clearness, or enforced by such so- 
lemn sanctions. We are not inclined to depreciate the 
merit of ancient and modern treatises on these duties. But 
we affirm, that when compared with the little manual of 
moral precepts which the Saviour and his inspired fol- 
lowers have left us, the speculations of philosophers, no 
matter by what name they are called, or at what period 
they have lived, appear obscure, meagre and uninteresting. 
The highest acumen of human intellect, abetted by all 
the resources of human learning, has frequently been ex- 
ercised upon the New Testament — the production of Ga- 
lilean fishermen — and yet neither deficiency nor inconsist- 
ency can be detected in its pages. It has stood the test 

50 



414 SERMON XXV. 

of eighteen centuries, and is confessedly the only perfect 
summary of moral duties that the world has seen. 

Again, that the advantages accruing to every Christian 
community from the Sabbath, are of incalculable value, 
will be still more manifest, if we consider, that the instruc- 
tion dispensed from the pulpit, is furnished on much 
cheaper terms than any other. We do not now allude 
directly to the fact, that the pecuniary compensation re- 
ceived by those who impart this instruction, is very con- 
siderably below what men in the other professions obtain 
for services, which, in general, demand inferior literary 
attainments, and less intellectual labour. But we rather 
allude to the circumstance, that houses for public worship 
are thrown open to all who choose to enter. It has ever 
been the glory of the Christian religion, that the blessings 
it confers, and the hopes which it inspires, are dissemi- 
nated " without money and without price." Truths most 
important for the direction of human conduct on earth, as 
well as for the acquisition of happiness beyond the grave, 
are taught in a manner intelligible to the meanest capa- 
city, on every Sabbath, in a place which is accessible to 
all the various ranks and classes of society. Neither poor 
nor rich are excluded. The man who is unable, and he 
who is unwilling, to pay for the privilege, are alike free 
to hear whatever is to be heard. From the temple of 
Christian science is hung out a signal of invitation, inti- 
mating, that there is room for every individual, no matter 
of what age or sex, complexion or country, character or 
condition. 

Infidels have vainly perplexed themselves in attempt- 
ing to account for the rapid success of Christianity in the 
first instance, and the ascendancy which it has ever since 
continued to hold over the mind, the conduct, and the des- 
tiny of so large a portion of our race. The true solution 



SERMON XXV. 415 

of this phenomenon is undoubtedly to be found in the me- 
morable promise of the Saviour to his apostles : " Lo I 
am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." 
To no ascertained principles of human nature, indepen- 
dently of an extraordinary divine interposition, can the rise 
and progress of the Christian religion be satisfactorily re- 
ferred. We presume, however, that none are disposed 
to contend for a total exclusion of secondary causes in 
this matter. It will hardly be denied by any, that the 
Author of Christianity adapted this religion to the exi- 
gencies of those for whose benefit it was intended. Now 
we are inclined to think, that one of the most remarkable 
instances of such adaptation, is visible in the circumstance 
which we have last mentioned — the cheapness of the rate 
at which the instruction of the pulpit is dispensed. 

By far the largest portion of every community must be 
composed of the comparatively indigent — those whose la- 
bour procures for them very little or nothing more than a 
bare subsistence. For the instruction of these there was 
no provision, till the preaching of the gospel commenced. 
Unable to defray the expenses of an academical education 
for themselves or their children, they were involved in the 
grossest and most irremediable ignorance. The porticos 
of philosophy were closed against them, they had access 
to no teachers who were at once competent and disposed 
to explain the nature and extent of their moral duties, and 
urge them by sufficient motives to the performance of these 
duties. Now this was the state of things which Chris- 
tianity was admirably suited to meet and to rectify. The 
blessings of the religion introduced by Jesus of Naza- 
reth, were tendered especially to the poor, and from the 
lower classes of society the primitive converts to the faith 
of the gospel, were chiefly gathered. 

The vast improvement in public morals, then, which 



416 SERMON XXV. 

has confessedly followed the introduction of the Chris- 
tian religion, is owing, in a great measure, to the cheap- 
ness of the instruction which is dispensed from the pulpit. 
The weekly expositions of the New Testament, which 
form so important a part of the exercises of every Sab- 
hath, are accessible to the poorest classes of society, and 
thus a considerable quantity of information, most valuable 
in its kind, is communicated to those who must otherwise 
have remained in ignorance and in vice. They who have 
neither leisure nor inclination for reading, are in this man- 
ner, aroused from a state of mental torpidity — made to 
perceive, that they have mental faculties, and to exercise 
them too, on the noblest and most interesting of all 
subjects. 

From the train of thought into which we have now 
been led, it will be at once perceived, that the Sabbath is 
eminently calculated to promote the interests of society, by 
diffusing and perpetuating the blessings of public order 
and tranquillity. Whatever contributes to enlighten and 
refine, in the humblest degree, every member of a com- 
munity, must have a favourable influence on the commu- 
nity in its collective capacity. Now, although every 
member may not personally attend the weekly expositions 
of the New Testament, yet a sufficient number attend, to 
give a direction to the opinions, and a tone to the feelings 
of the whole. A little leaven, it is said, leaveneth the 
whole lump. An astronomical observatory established in 
a country, will benefit not merely the few whose scien- 
tific attainments enable them to avail themselves of the 
facilities which it affords for contemplating distant suns, 
measuring other worlds, and investigating the sublime 
laws which regulate the physical universe ; but will fur- 
ther extend its advantages to the peasant, who, though re- 
mote from its site, and perhaps ignorant of its existence, 



SERMON XXV. 447 

employs the little manual of tabular calculation which it 
may annually send forth, in the familiar form of an Al- 
manac, for his direction in husbandry, and the other avo- 
cations of ordinary life. 

A political writer of extended celebrity, has laid it 
down as one of his fundamental maxims, that virtue is the 
spring, or pervading principle, of a republican form of 
government. But the truth is, that virtue, taken in its 
proper acceptation, is essential to every kind of govern- 
ment ; for without some degree of virtue, society could not 
subsist at all. It is, therefore, evident, without the 
parade of demonstration, that the Sabbath, as it is an ef- 
fective instrument of enlightening, on the subject of morals, 
those classes of society which are in most danger of be- 
coming, through ignorance, depraved and untractable, 
must tend to secure and preserve the blessings of a well- 
regulated government. The whole spirit of Christianity 
is in unison with the saying of the poet, that " order is 
Heaven's first law." The gospel inculcates submission 
to the powers that be, on the ground, that they are or- 
dained of God. While its doctrines and precepts are 
friendly to the cause of rational liberty — while it unfolds 
just and philosophical views of human rights — while it 
looks with a propitious eye, on the struggles of an op- 
pressed people for freedom — it nevertheless enjoins on its 
professors a due respect for the constituted authorities of 
the land, in which Providence has ordered their lot. 
And it moreover subjects them to a routine of moral train- 
ing, the best adapted for the formation of habits of obedi- 
ence, with respect to this, as well as with respect to all 
the injunctions which it promulges. Who, then, can es- 
timate the advantages merely in a civil point of view, re- 
sulting to society from the weekly exposition and enforce- 
ment of a system of ethics, like that which forms so essen- 
tial a part of Christianity? 



4lg SERMON XXV. 

We have thus shown the importance of the Sabbath 
to the temporal interests of man. — So much of your time 
has been already occupied, that we shall omit saying any 
thing respecting its tendency to subserve his spiritual and 
eternal interests; and we do so with the less reluctance, since 
its advantages in this respect are obviously identified with 
those of religion itself. No one, we presume, can, for a 
moment, doubt that this institution is the grand means of 
perserving the knowledge and the fear of God among 
men. In short, without the Sabbath there would be no 
religion in the world. 

We need not wonder, then, that so much stress is laid, 
in the sacred Scriptures, on the duty of observing the 
Sabbath day. This duty, though strictly of a positive 
nature, has been incorporated, as we have said, in the 
moral law. Why? Because of its intimate connexion 
with human virtue and happiness. No other injunction 
of Heaven exerts a more direct and powerful influence 
over the moral character and conduct of man. 

But before we proceed to enforce the duty of "remem- 
bering the Sabbath day to keep it holy," the question 
may arise, How much of the Sabbath is to be appro- 
priated to religious exercises and pursuits ? We answer, 
the whole of the day, except so much as is occupied in 
" works of necessity and mercy." This we distinctly as- 
sert in opposition to Dr. Paley, who has said, that " what 
remains of Sunday, beside the part of it employed at 
church, must be considered as a mere rest from the ordi- 
nary occupations of civil life." We regret to see such an 
erroneous and such a dangerous sentiment as this, formally 
delivered and vindicated in a treatise on morals, which 
many of our seminaries of learning have adopted as a text 
book, and with which most of our youth become familiar. 
We do not hesitate to affirm, that the contrary is the doc- 



SERMON XXV. 419 

trine of the sacred Scriptures. They require us to devote the 
whole of the Sabbath, with the exception just mentioned, 
to the duties of religion, public and private. The Old 
Testament contains many passages besides the text, 
which fully support this position. It may, indeed, be re- 
plied, that these passages relate only to the Jews, and are 
not obligatory upon Christians. But we trust that we 
have said enough to convince you, that the Sabbath 
is an institution of perpetual obligation, and that none of 
the precepts which enjoin the observance of it, can become 
obsolete. 

It has been intimated, that works of necessity and 
mercy may be lawfully performed on the Sabbath. On 
this point the sacred Scriptures are sufficiently explicit. 
Every reader of the New Testament recollects the in- 
stances in which our Lord evinced, both by precept and 
example, that it was right to do good on the Sabbath day. 
Indeed, it has been justly remarked, that works of neces- 
sity and mercy can hardly be considered as exceptions to 
the general rule, since their tendency is to promote the 
glory of Grod. 

And now, brethren, we would urge upon you all, the 
injunction of our text, "Remember the Sabbath day to 
keep it holy." If Jehovah has been pleased to conse- 
crate a particular day for the honour of his great and 
glorious name, you must be under an imperious obligation 
to observe such day, as its holy character demands. 
We say to you, in the language of the poet, 

Let that day be blest 

With holiness and consecrated rest." 

None of us, dear hearers, are disposed to deny, that it 
is our duty to devote the Sabbath to the service of Him 
who instituted it as a day of sacred rest. But alas! we 
are all deficient in the performance of this admitted duty. 



420 SERMON XXV. 

It is true, here, as in numerous other instances, that we 
" know the right, and yet the wrong pursue." There is, 
perhaps, scarcely any matter with regard to which the 
best of Christians are so deeply conscious of their delin- 
quency, as in that of remembering the Sabbath day to 
keep it holy. Not that they are habitually guilty of po- 
sitive violations of this sacred day, for by such conduct 
they would forfeit every claim to be regarded as Chris- 
tians. We should be very loth to award the title of Chris- 
tian, in its strictest sense, to any individual who could 
knowingly and deliberately profane the Sabbath of the 
Lord his God. " Rest assured," says Dr. Chalmers, 
"that a Christian, having the love of God written in his 
heart, and denying the Sabbath a place in its affections, 
is an anomaly that is no where to be found." And again, 
he says, " We never, in the whole course of our recollec- 
tions, met with a Christian friend, who bore upon his cha- 
racter every other evidence of the Spirit's operation, who 
did not remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy." 
You will not then understand us as admitting, that Chris- 
tians violate the Sabbath in what may be termed a posi- 
tive manner — that they consume the whole or any portion 
of this day in the transaction of secular business, such as 
looking over and posting their accounts, writing letters, 
and preparing in various modes for the transactions of the 
coming week. We will not grant that Christians are 
even heard exclaiming, " When will the Sabbath be 
gone that we may sell corn and set forth w r heat ?" Much 
less will we concede that they spend this day which the 
Lord has made, or any part of it, in mere amusement and 
recreation, such as reading newspapers and books which 
are not of a religious nature, riding, walking, or visiting, 
except in cases of necessity, or for the performance of acts 
of mercy. All these are things which we are bold to 



SERMON XXV. 421 

affirm, that Christians cannot do — we mean they cannot 
do them habitually. And yet they are lamentably remiss 
in the proper observance of the Sabbath. They are not 
uniformly in the spirit on the Lord's day. They find it 
difficult to preserve that exclusively devotional frame of 
mind which they are anxious to possess. They are often 
diverted from that strict attention to the concerns of their 
souls, which the law of God, and their own interests de- 
mand. Their conversation is not so spiritual, as they 
would wish it to be. Their thoughts especially are prone 
to wander from holy ground into forbidden paths. Breth- 
ren, are not these things so? Alas! we know from our 
own experience, that what we have now said, is but too 
true. We lay claim to no superior sanctity on this, or 
any other point. Indeed, we are sensible, that our situa- 
tion is one that renders us peculiarly liable to delinquen- 
cy in the particular to which we advert. To the minister 
of the gospel the Sabbath is, in one sense, a day of la- 
bour, as well as of rest. — But Jehovah knoweth our 
frame, and remembereth that we are dust ! 

We exhort you, then, brethren, to be more circumspect 
in the observance of the Sabbath. On your discharge of 
this duty, above all others, must depend your progress in 
virtue and piety. Jehovah has been pleased to promise 
peculiar tokens of his favour to those who keep the fourth 
commandment. Hear his language : " If thou turn away 
thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on 
my holy day ; and call the Sabbath a Delight, the Holy 
of the Lord, Honourable ; and shalt honour him, not doing 
thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor 
speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thy- 
self in the Lord ; and I will cause thee to ride upon the 
high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage 
of Jacob thy father : for the mouth of the Lord hath spo- 

51 



422 sermon xxv. ■* ;~ 

ken it." Here you are presented with the amplest en- 
couragement to the performance of the solemn duty on 
which we insist. Let it, therefore, be your constant en- 
deavour to spend the Sabbath as a day which belongs 
exclusively to your Maker and Redeemer — a day which 
he has reserved for himself, and which is always to be 
devoted to his glory. It is only by such conduct, that 
you can become fitted for the enjoyment of that celestial 
Sabbath which awaits the redeemed after death — that 
pure and eternal rest which, when the toil of life is over, 
remaineth for the people of God. 

We are aware, dear hearers, how much we have tres- 
passed upon your patience. And yet we cannot conclude 
without adverting to a topic on which we have before ex- 
pressed our sentiments. We feel the deepest anxiety, 
that some plan should be devised for promoting a better 
observance of the Sabbath, not only as a religious, but as 
a moral and political institution, among the inhabitants of 
the city in which we live. That the day which the Lord 
hath made, is here awfully profaned in various ways, it 
would surely be superfluous to go about proving. Let 
any one who may doubt the truth of what we now assert, 
look at the taverns in the suburbs of this town ; and let 
him especially observe the number of children who are 
ranging the streets and the surrounding country, free from 
all restraint, and engaged in every species of wickedness 
— in every form of vice. We again call upon you, 
brethren, not only as Christians, but as members of 
society — as men — to adopt some expedient for bring- 
ing about another state of things. We trust, that 
we have succeeded in convincing you, that the Sab- 
bath is the great palladium of morals, as well as of re- 
ligion. We do not hesitate to say, that on the perpetuity 
of this institution depend the virtue, the happiness, the 



SERMON xxv. 423 

liberty of our country. Is it not important, then, to en- 
deavour to arrest the growing profanation of this sacred 
day ? You must all answer in the affirmative. Now we 
conceive, that this desirable object might be, in some 
measure, accomplished, so far as our city is concerned, 
by the formation of a society of gentlemen for the general 
suppression of vice and immorality. We know that, in 
other places, much good has been done through the in- 
strumentality of similar associations. Let the experiment 
be tried, and with the divine blessing upon our efforts, we 
promise, that they will not be wholly unsuccessful. 



SERMON XXVI. 

JOHN VII. 48. 
" Have any of the rulers, or of the Pharisees, believed on him ?" 

This was a query put by the Pharisees themselves to 
certain officers whom they had sent for the apprehension 
of Christ, and who returned without executing their er- 
rand. It appears, that the officers, on repairing to the 
spot where our Lord was, found him engaged, as usual, 
in addressing the multitude on the subject of religion. 
With so much eloquence did he speak, that a powerful 
effect was produced on the whole assembly, and the offi- 
cers themselves, favourably impressed, did not attempt to 
lay violent hands on him, but went back to those who had 
deputed them with the remark, " Never man spake like 
this man." We think that we can almost see the indig- 
nant and sarcastic scowl with which the dignitaries of the 
Sanhedrim replied, " Are ye also deceived ? Have any 
of the rulers, or of the Pharisees, believed on him ? But 
this people, who knoweth not the law, are cursed." There 
was, indeed, at least one upright and liberal individual in 
this band of swollen and infuriated bigots, for we read, 
that Nicodemus (the same who visited the Redeemer by 
night) endeavoured to lead them to something like mode- 
ration and propriety, by modestly asking, " Doth our law 
judge any man before it hear him, and know what he 
doeth ?" This, however, was truly to cast pearls before 
swine. It was like talking to the wind. The virtuous 



SERMON xxvi. 425 

and honourable Jew only brought upon himself the bitter 
taunt : " Art thou also of Galilee ? Search and look : for 
out of Galilee ariseth no prophet." 

You can be at no loss to perceive what we propose to 
make of the passage before us, when we remark, that in- 
terrogatory language is often employed to express, in the 
strongest manner, a proposition either affirmative or ne- 
gative. The question, " Have any of the rulers, or of the 
Pharisees, believed on him ?" implies, that none, or, at 
any rate, next to none, of the rulers and Pharisees — of 
the wealthy, the honourable, and the powerful — had be- 
lieved on Jesus. The text thus interpreted involves an 
interesting and important truth, which, if we are not mis- 
taken, will be found applicable to the state of Christianity, 
in all times and places. 

If we revert to the period of the Messiah's personal 
ministry, we observe, that very few of the rulers and Pha- 
risees then believed on him. The prediction of the Old 
Testament, which announced, that he should be "de- 
spised and rejected of men," was abundantly verified in 
the circumstances of his actual history. " He came to his 
own, and his own received him not." His career on earth 
was marked by an unexampled series of persecutions and 
sufferings. His very infancy was not exempt from perils, 
for the tyrant Herod sought his life, and his parents were 
compelled to provide for his safety by a precipitate re- 
moval to Egypt. On his return to his native land, the 
obscurity in which he lived for thirty years, did, indeed, 
shelter him, so far as we know, from calumny, insult, and 
violence. But it was a calm to be followed by a storm 
the darkest and most overwhelming. No sooner did he 
begin to publish the kingdom of heaven, and to perform 
miracles in evidence of his divine mission, than a host of 
enemies arose in every district of Judea. The sneer of 



426 SERMON XXVI. 

derision, and the strong arm of civil authority were alike 
employed to injure and to crush him. His motives were 
misrepresented — his discourses were misinterpreted — he 
was accused of a confederacy with infernal spirits — the 
charge of blasphemy was preferred against him— he was 
denounced as a fomenter of sedition, and one who aimed 
at usurping the highest authority in his country. In a 
word, every artifice was resorted to that malice could sug- 
gest or ingenuity invent, for the defamation of his charac- 
ter, and the accomplishment of his ruin. 

Now, the opposition which the Saviour met with in the 
days of his flesh, proceeded chiefly from the higher ranks 
of society. The multitude, it is true, manifested, on seve- 
ral occasions, the most rancorous feelings of hostility. But 
in such instances they were evidently instigated by their 
superiors. The friends of Jesus — his devoted adherents 
— were, with scarcely an exception, individuals of humble 
parentage and scanty education. Look at the catalogue 
of his apostles. Simon Peter and Andrew his brother 
were fishermen. James and John, the two sons of Zebe- 
dee, were brought up to the same occupation. Matthew 
was a collector of the Roman revenue — an office so odious 
in the estimation of his countrymen, that no Jew of any 
standing in society could be prevailed on to accept it. Of 
the rest we know little more than the general fact, that 
their station and pursuits in life were about equally ele- 
vated. Such was the character of the Redeemer's open 
followers — his professed disciples. There were, indeed, 
one or two persons of a different description, who were 
secretly his friends, such as Nicodemus of whom we have 
already spoken, and Joseph of Arimathea, a man of con- 
siderable opulence, who procured from Pilate the crucified 
body of Jesus, and buried it in his own sepulchre. But 
these were rare exceptions. The converts of Christ, 



SERMON xxvi. 427 

during his abode among men, were, for the most part, 
poor and powerless — no better than when, soon after his 
death, their enemies described them in the most con- 
temptuous terms, as the " filth of the earth" — the " off- 
scouring of all things." 

We see, then, that the words of our text are strictly 
applicable to the state of things during the period of 
the Saviour's personal ministry. Well might his adver- 
saries sneeringly ask the question before us. 

But these words are not to be restricted to the period 
of which we have been speaking. They may be shown 
to be true with regard to all the subsequent periods 
of Christianity. For about three centuries after the as- 
cension of our Lord, his followers were doomed to indig- 
nities and outrages, such as the eloquence of human 
language is inadequate to depict. It is not exaggeration to 
say, that, if the testimony of the most eminent historians 
can be at all relied on, several millions of Christians must 
have perished, in various ways, from the commencement 
of the reign of Nero to the end of that of Dioclesian. The 
wealthy, the powerful and the learned combined their ef- 
forts for the extinction of the gospel. The emperor and 
the philosopher, the patrician and the priest, arranged 
themselves under a common banner of hostility towards 
all who bore the name of Jesus of Nazareth. For any 
who made un undisguised profession of belief in his mes- 
siahship, there was neither peace nor safety. They who 
cared for the loss of property or of life, were under the ne- 
cessity of concealing, with the most profound caution, their 
attachment to the cross. In short, the primitive Christians 
were hated by the Jews as bold innovators, while by the 
pagans they were spurned as weak enthusiasts. It is no 
wonder, that, under such circumstances, few of the rulers 
and Pharisees believed on Christ. There can be no doubt, 



428 SERMON XXVI. 

that Gibbon, however sinister may have been the motive 
which prompted the representation, is not far from the 
truth in saying, that "the new sect was almost entirely 
composed of the dregs of the populace." 

It is true, that after the reign of Dioclesian, an order of 
things somewhat different began to arise. Christianity 
gradually ceased to be an object of persecution. The 
gospel by this time had operated as an effective engine in 
enlightening and ameliorating mankind. The book of 
revelation, expounded by living apostles, had poured 
upon the world a flood of moral splendour, which under- 
mined the temples of paganism, and swept away the 
abominations of polytheism. The power of divine truth 
proved too strong to be resisted by the sophistry of phi- 
losophers, and the artifice of priests. And now the ru- 
lers and Pharisees had sagacity enough to discern the 
course which it was their interest to pursue. They fore- 
saw the rising of the tide, and by taking it at the ebb, 
were conducted on to fortune. Their policy now led them 
to court the religion which they had formerly persecuted. 
This memorable change commenced in the reign of Con- 
stantino, and was consummated in that of Theodosius. 
The latter potentate issued a formal edict for the abolition 
of the pagan, and the establishment of the Christian sys- 
tem throughout the Roman Empire. How far this revo- 
lution was favourable to the interests of pure and unde- 
fined religion, is a question which has been frequently and 
warmly agitated. We believe that had Christianity never 
been allied to the civil authority in any land, the world 
would have been blessed at this day with a far more 
abundant measure of pure religious light and influence 
than it really enjoys. 

Christianity, then, now r appears under an aspect not 
altogether similar to that which it exhibited during the 



SERMON xxvi. 429 

life of its Author, and for two or three centuries after- 
wards. Since the time of Theodosius, the religion of 
Jesus has acquired a certain kind of favour with the 
wealthy and powerful. The question, " Have any of the 
rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him?" no longer 
means precisely the same thing which it meant when first 
asked. It does not now imply, " Are any of the rulers 
or of the Pharisees, the nominal friends, the professed 
followers of Christ?" To such a query we should have 
no difficulty in returning a satisfactory reply. But the 
import of the text in our day is briefly this, " Have any 
of the rulers or of the Pharisees really and effectually be- 
lieved on the Son of God ; and do they evince their faith 
by a life devoted to the observance of his laws and the 
promotion of his glory?" 

We are aware, dear hearers, that we are now approach- 
ing delicate ground. To discriminate between particular 
classes of the community, and to affirm, that a larger pro- 
portion of the Saviour's true friends is found in the one 
than in the other, must be rather an invidious enterprize. 
But the good sense of the auditors will convince them, 
that it cannot be our intention, as it is certainly neither 
our interest nor our duty to offend. And we here promise, 
that, in the further prosecution of our remarks, we shall 
carefully endeavour not to advance a single step beyond 
what Scripture and experience warrant. 

It was foretold of the Messiah, under the old dispen- 
sation, that when he should visit the earth, he would 
preach glad tidings to the poor; that is, as we understand 
the prediction, to the literally poor, as well as to those who 
are elsewhere characterized as the " poor in spirit." To 
the accomplishment of this prophecy an allusion was in- 
directly made, when we told you, that the fruits of the 
Saviour's personal ministry wem gathered almost exclu* 

52 



430 SERMON XXVI. 

sively from the humbler classes of Society. And in the 
period immediately succeeding the ascension of our divine 
Lord, we hear the apostle Paul exclaim, "For ye see your 
calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the 
flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: but God 
hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound 
the wise ; and God hath chosen the weak things of the 
world to confound the things which are mighty; and base 
things of the world, and things which are despised, hath 
God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to 
nought things that are." Many are the passages of a 
similar purport, which, did time permit and the occasion 
require, might readily be adduced from the inspired re- 
cord. 

Now, when such language of Scripture is viewed in 
connexion with past history, and with the facts that come 
under our own personal observation, we shall have reason 
to fear, that few comparatively of the rulers or of the 
Pharisees in any age or country have truly believed on 
the Son of God. But we are now mainly concerned to 
inquire, how it is at the present day. From what class 
of the community does Christianity now gather most of 
her sincere and consistent and zealous professors? Does 
she number among her votaries a greater proportion of the 
rich and powerful, or of those of a contrary description? — 
Alas ! if we were to look at our communion tables, as the 
criterion for enabling us to determine this point, we are 
apprehensive that we should have to regard the text as 
too generally and abundantly verified. 

But here an explanation before hinted at must be 
brought more distinctly and prominently into view. WheH 
we say, that few of the rulers or of the Pharisees have 
believed on Christ, we do not design to convey the idea, 
that the opulent and influential manifest, in general, less 



SERMON XXVI. 431 

disposition to respect and observe some of the forms of re- 
ligion, than persons of an opposite class. We are far 
from complaining, that a contempt for the institutions of 
Christianity is betrayed, at the present day, by any indi- 
vidual of wealth and standing, whose opinion is worth a 
groat. The ministers of the gospel are as respectfully and 
affectionately treated as they deserve. Edifices for public 
worship, provided they who officiate in them, are tolera- 
bly competent to the discharge of their high duties, are as 
much frequented by the intelligent and the fashionable, as 
by auditors of another description. It seems to be now 
almost universally agreed, that the New Testament con- 
tains the purest and most effective system of ethics, and 
that with the prevalence of this system the welfare of so- 
ciety, and the permanence of our political institutions are 
closely linked* We are not reluctant to concede, that, 
so far as mere external conduct is concerned, the higher 
ranks may have, in some sense, the advantage over the 
lower, there being possibly fewer of the former than of 
the latter, who utterly neglect the preaching of the gospel, 
and live in a state of virtual heathenism. Our proposi- 
tion, then — let it be distinctly understood — is simply this, 
that of those who compose our actual congregations, the 
rulers and the Pharisees, the wealthy and the powerful, 
do not so frequently believe on the Son of God, in the 
proper and evangelical sense of the term, as others who 
move in a less conspicuous sphere. 

As an evidence of the truth of this proposition, reference 
has already been had to the sacramental ordinance. Let 
it not be imagined that we consider the ordinance in ques- 
tion as marking with perfect accuracy, the Saviour's real 
friends. Far be from us the thought, that all who neglectthe 
Lord's Supper, should be deemed, in consequence of such 
neglect, unbelievers in Him whose death the eucharistical 



432 SERMON XXVI* 

feast commemorates. Nor does even that charity which 
" hopeth all things," demand of us the supposition, that 
every communicant is a true Christian. If a Judas was 
found in the little company of the apostles, who can doubt, 
that unsound professors exist at the present day ? But, 
brethren, after these concessions are made, we appeal to 
your candour, whether the communion table may not still 
be regarded as the safest criterion by which to estimate 
the number of our Redeemer's little flock. Judging by 
this criterion, we shall have too much reason to ask, 
" Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on 
him?" 

Nor is it very difficult to assign the reason, why, al- 
though so many of the rulers and of the Pharisees seem 
anxious to enjoy the advantages, so few of them are dis- 
posed to submit to the requisitions of religion. The gos- 
pel which we preach addresses no direct appeal to the 
natural passions of men. It seeks to arrest and turn into 
another channel, the current of human affections. It would 
lead our thoughts from created things up to the great Cre- 
ator. It represents the present as a state of discipline. 
It points to the future world as the only land of promise. 
It casts a shade over the things that are temporal, and 
discloses, in all their importance, the things that are eter- 
nal. Its language to the human being is, " Thou shalt 
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all 
thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength." 
And again it says to men, " Lay not up for yourselves 
treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, 
and where thieves break through and steal : but lay up 
for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth 
nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break 
through and steal." 

To be more particular and explicit $ the rulers and the 



sermon xxvi. 433 

Pharisees — the wealthy and the powerful — may be di- 
vided into two classes — those who are engaged in the pur- 
suit of pleasure, and those who are engaged in the pur- 
suit of honour. Now, it may be easily shown, that the 
gospel of Christ is little fitted to conciliate the favour, 
and enlist the sympathies of either of these classes of men. 

In the first place, we remark, that they who possess 
the means of gratifying their sensual appetites and pas- 
sions, are too seldom able to resist the powerful tempta- 
tions created by such a circumstance. A habit of unre- 
strained indulgence is thus formed, whicli is rarely over- 
come by any motive that can be presented to the mind. 
Hence it is, as every one knows, that the sons of the opu- 
lent so frequently fall victims to dissipation. Now, the 
religion of the New Testament condemns with a voice of 
authority and sternness, such as never emanated from the 
porticos of philosophy, the immoderate pursuit of plea- 
sure. It aims to bring all our thoughts and affections 
under the supreme control of reason, or, as we should ra- 
ther say, under that of faith, a principle more unerring in 
its dictates, and more commanding in its influence, than 
reason. It tells us, and without any of that reserve and 
that mincing, which disgrace the pages of so many of our 
moralists, that fleshly lusts ivar against the soul — are 
inimical and even fatal, both to our present comfort, and 
our future safety. In a word, it directs us to deny our- 
selves, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly on the 
earth. Can we, then, wonder, that so few of the rulers 
or of the Pharisees believe on the Lord Jesus Christ ? 

Again, Christianity looks with an eye of disdain, on 
the show of earthly power, and the trappings of earthly 
splendour. She teaches her votaries to say, with far more 
sincerity than the fallen courtier ever said — 

"Vain pomp and glory of this world, we hate ye." 



434 SERMON xxvt. 

The gospel is a system which not only tends, but openly 
professes to humble every aspiring imagination of the hu- 
man heart — which promises the kingdom of heaven to 
none but those who are " poor in spirit." And how can 
such a system be acceptable to the rulers and the Phari- 
sees ? Who that knows any thing of the nature and re- 
quirements of the Christian scheme, does not discern, that 
it is calculated to excite the hostility, rather than elicit 
the cordial approbation and support of men who make 
the attainment of popular favour and political eminence, 
the primary and absorbing object of their pursuit ? 

Upon the whole, the religion of Christ is a stern and 
an uncompromising religion. It gives no quarter to sin. It 
admits of no collusion with preconceived opinions, and 
long-cherished inclinations. It calls for an immediate and 
unconditional surrender of the heart to Jehovah. In one 
sense, it has entered the world not to bring peace but a 
sword. It wages a war of extermination with every thing 
that stands in opposition to the Almighty's claims on hu- 
man obedience. It demands, that the glitter of wealth, 
the allurements of pleasure, and the pomp of power, be 
sacrificed, without a murmur on the altar of Heaven. It 
declares, in language the most express, that the service of 
two masters at the same time is utterly impracticable. It 
tells us, that so long as Mammon exercises undisputed 
dominion over one inch of territory in the soul, the King 
of Zion will not condescend to accept the sovereignty of 
all that may be left. He can bear no rival near his throne. 
The direction of our divine Lord is, " If any man will 
come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his 
cross, and follow me" — a direction which he enforces by 
asking that solemn question, " For what is a man profited, 
if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? 
or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ?" 



sermon xxvi. 435 

■ 

Enough, we presume, has now heen said to explain 
why and how it is, that the rulers and the Pharisees are 
so little disposed to contemplate our religion with a fa- 
vourable eye. Its terms, they say, are too rigid. Its ex- 
clusive demands they cannot brook. A partial submission 
to the restraints which it would impose on their conduct, 
they might persuade themselves to tolerate. But when 
they are given to understand, that an uureserved conse- 
cration of their mental faculties and physical powers to 
the divine service is insisted upon, their language is, 
" This is a hard saying, who can hear it ?" They are 
anxious to reconcile the love of God with the love of the 
world. They are determined to try the experiment, how 
far an alliance may be formed between righteousness and 
unrighteousness, between light and darkness, between 
Christ and Belial, between faith and infidelity, between 
the temple of God and idols. In fine, they virtually con- 
tend, that although there may be no royal road to geome- 
try, or any other science, there must be a royal road to 
heaven. 

We now hasten to our concluding remarks. 

This subject addresses itself with an energy which 
ought not to be resisted, to those professed followers of 
Christ whose lot it is to move in the more elevated regions 
of society. It reminds them of the peculiar temptations 
to which they are exposed, and urges them to the exer- 
cise of correspondent vigilance and activity. It tells them, 
that they have need of constant watchfulness and unceas- 
ing prayer, lest the glare of wealth, the parade of power, 
and the blandishments of pleasure, should so far alienate 
their affections from their Maker, as to render their re- 
covery by grace, if not absolutely impossible, at least in- 
consistent with the principles and practice of the divine 
administration. 



436 SERMON XXVI. 

And here let it be observed, that when the opulent and 
the influential refuse to believe on the Son of God, they 
injure not only their own souls, but the souls of others. 
We all know the effect which their example has on the 
whole mass of the community. To a certain extent, they 
set the fashion, if we may be allowed so to speak, in 
morals and religion as well as in dress, furniture and 
literature. Who, then, can tell, how far they are charge- 
able with the aggregate corruption of society ? This 
consideration, too, acquires additional force, when we 
reflect, that their example and influence, if in favour 
of real, evangelical piety, might contribute much towards 
the general prevalence of virtuous and devout habits, 
and the consequent amelioration of human nature in 
respect to its present condition and its future prospects. 
Yes, their active exertions — their zealous co-operation — 
with the sincere friends of Christ in the humbler walks of 
life, would, ere long, remove every obstacle to the arrival 
of that predicted period, in which purity, peace and hap- 
piness shall be diffused, through the medium of the gos- 
pel, over every continent, and among the islands of 
every sea. 

Come, then, ye to whom providence has allotted wealth, 
distinction and influence, and manifest your gratitude for 
these favours, by an open and unhesitating acceptance of 
Christ's salvation. Acknowledge Jehovah as your only 
legitimate Sovereign. Let other lords no longer have 
dominion over you. And especially would we urge you 
to abandon for ever the idea which too many entertain, 
that religion — we mean real, practical religion — is a thing 
adapted only to the weaker and less enlightened classes 
of men. Such a notion, let us assure you, is wholly un- 
founded. We are bold to say, that it will not disgrace 
your intellects, whatever may be their degree of strength 



SERMON XXVI. 4£7 

and cultivation, to become followers of the Son of God. 
We have no fear in hazarding this assertion, when we 
recollect, that Newton, who according to common appre- 
hension, is without a competitor on the arena of mind, and 
Locke, who, perhaps, takes the second station among the 
master spirits of our race, were sincere and consistent be- 
lievers in Christ. To these how many more names of the 
highest celebrity, might we easily add ? — Boyle, Hale, 
Milton, Addison, Johnson and others. And O! are any 
of you, brethren, going to spurn a religion which the un- 
destanding of such men accounted worthy of all accepta- 
tion? "Where is the individual of this assembly, who, 
wiser and abler than Newton and Locke, is ashamed of 
Jesus and his words ? — Ah ! the shame, dear hearers, is 
all on the side of those who refuse to avail themselves of 
the glorious expedient which divine wisdom and benevo- 
lence have revealed for their deliverance from sin and 
misery. What, then, is your resolution? The question 
of accepting or rejecting the great salvation, is now sub- 
mitted to you. The alternative of the gospel, life and 
death, is set before you. We call upon you to make 
your election. Now is the accepted time — to day is the 
day of salvation. Remember, that life is the only season 
for repentance. There will be no room — no opportunity 
— for this great duty beyond the grave. Indulge not the 
hope that the moral Governor of the universe will, at some 
remote period in eternity, unbar the prison of hell, and 
set free its wo- worn inmates. Infatuated man ! we would 
this morning caution thee against any such delusive an- 
ticipation as this. We tremble to think, that thou 
shouldst be thus deceived, and we beg thee, as thou dost 
love thy soul, to renounce so fatal an error. The mercy 
of Deity has been justly compared to the rainbow, which 
cannot be seen after night. It blesses the sinner's eye 

53 



438 SERMON XXVI. 

throughout the day of his probation on earth. But when 
the sun of righteousness has gone down, and the long, 
long night of eternity has set in, this cheering arch never 
appears, even in faintest colours, to the condemned 
spirit's view. Mercy has deserted him, and the farewell 
notes of hope linger on his ear, and haunt his imagination 
for ever. — Come, then, before it be too late, and secure the 
peace and happiness which the gospel tenders to your ac- 
ceptance. Be wise, and consider your latter end. All 
other wisdom is folly compared with that which consists 
in making timely provision for eternity, by the exercise of 
repentance for sin, and faith in the one Mediator between 
God and men. These are the terms of salvation; terms 
suited alike to the rich and the poor — the polished and 
the rude — the fashionable and the vulgar — the philoso- 
pher and the peasant. — It is said, that the learned and 
illustrious Selden, as he approached the crisis of his 
earthly career, uttered this declaration : " 1 have taken 
much pains to know every thing that was esteemed worth 
knowing among men, but of all my acquisitions and 
readings nothing now remains with me, to comfort me at 
the close of life, but this passage of Paul, ; It is a faithful 
saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus 
came into the world to save sinners.' To this I cleave, 
and herein I find rest." 



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